Friday, May 22, 2009

Former city official weighs in on manager debate

Ron LeBlanc favors change in government


By JON DUVAL
Express Staff Writer

Former Ketchum City Administrator Ron LeBlanc, now the city manager of Durango, Colo., said it would be beneficial to Ketchum if the city switched to a manager form of government.

Ron LeBlanc is well positioned to comment on the emerging debate over whether the city of Ketchum should switch to a city manager form of government.

A former Ketchum city administrator, a job he held from 2002 through 2007, LeBlanc is now the city manager of Durango, Colo., a resort city of approximately 15,000. Having been both an administrator at the behest of a mayor and a manager hired to run the daily operations of a city, he has some keen insight into the issue that's popped up in his previous workplace.

Ketchum Mayor Randy Hall brought the idea to the public at the end of March. It has since gained momentum, precipitating plenty of public comment at a City Council meeting on Monday.

Council members expressed a concern over moving on the issue too quickly, noting that the majority of their constituents are not fully aware of the differences between the two systems.

"The city manager form is based on the private sector, with a CEO and a board," LeBlanc said in an interview.

In Ketchum's existing mayor-council form of government, the administrator has his duties delegated to him by the mayor. With a city manager, the mayor would be part of the City Council, with otherwise mostly ceremonial duties, while the manager would take on the chief executive role.

With a city manager government, the mayor has the ability to vote on issues, as opposed to the current system, in which he can only vote in the case of a tie vote among council members.

LeBlanc said two of the greatest powers that would shift from the mayor to the manager would include the ability to hire and fire city staff, and set the budget.

"City managers want to be held accountable for their actions," LeBlanc said. "They don't want to be in the shadow of a mayor."

Former Ketchum Mayor Jerry Seiffert argued at the council meeting that one of the main reasons not to switch was that a city manager, responsible for setting the budget, would become a politicized figure and take "the heat" that was previously reserved for elected officials.

LeBlanc rebutted that argument, stating that as a hired professional, the manager is tasked with the day-to-day administration of the city, rather than feeling pressure to follow the mayor and council's direction, which can be influenced by a political agenda. This non-partisan characteristic is emphasized for managers belonging to the International City/County Management Association, which outlines a code of ethics. LeBlanc said this code mandates that all managers treat all parties fairly, something he said can be difficult in a system in which daily administration is dependent on an elected official.

LeBlanc returned to the theme of professionalism, saying that even small city governments are facing increasingly complex demands.

"You can't be guaranteed that an elected mayor will have the skill set to run all the facets of a city," LeBlanc said. "Would you go to a doctor that wasn't an M.D.?"

According to LeBlanc, most managers have a master's degree in public administration and have to take at least 40 hours of continuing education annually.

"I think it would be a wise switch for Ketchum," LeBlanc said. "I think the City Council sometimes loses its focus on the big picture, instead focusing on minor details. For example, they try to determine where the driveway should be rather than asking if a allowing a hotel is the right thing to do."

This issue of allowing the council to forego lengthy discussions on matters bordering on trivial was also broached at Monday's council meeting and seen as a welcome change by city officials.

And while current Ketchum City Administrator Gary Marks has remained relatively quiet on the issue, saying only that he thinks the manager form is more efficient, he has been touted by Hall as a likely candidate for the position, should voters ultimately choose the other form of government.

LeBlanc—who spoke with Marks in the past when LeBlanc was in Idaho and Marks was the manager of Whitefish, Mont.—said he thinks Marks would be a good choice.

"I think Gary's a very qualified professional," he said.

Jon Duval: jduval@mtexpress.com




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