Hiring quest for executive jobs rolls on for Merced County cities

The search to fill three executive positions in Merced County continued this week after decisions from area city councils.

Merced needs a city attorney, while Los Banos and Livingston are hunting for city managers.

The deadline to apply for the Merced attorney job was extended through Jan. 22, two weeks longer than originally planned. Mayor Stan Thurston said the online posting for that position drew just two qualified candidates.

He said the consulting firm, Roseville-based Bob Murray and Associates, recommended extending the deadline and chocked up the lack of interest to the distractions of the holiday season.

A brochure for the position touts the city’s attributes and the benefits that come with the city attorney job. It says the salary of the new city attorney will be based on his or her qualifications. Former City Attorney Randolph Hom, who left for a higher-paying position in Cupertino, made $180,000, according to his contract.

The consulting firm is the same company the city used to find Steve Carrigan, who takes over as city manager in Merced on Jan. 25.

On the west side of the county, Los Banos’ City Council moved forward this week with plans to hire Rocklin-based Ralph Andersen and Associates to help its search for a city manager.

The council unanimously agreed Thursday to direct the city’s staff to negotiate a contract with the firm, which was competing with four other applicants. City Attorney William Vaughn and City Clerk Lucy Mallonee independently rated Andersen and Associates as the best choice.

“Andersen and Associates rose to the top for me just because of the number of city manager placements they had in their history,” Vaughn said Thursday.

The 44-year-old firm has placed 280 city managers, according to Vaughn. Seventeen of the placements were in the past three years.

The firm is also working for Modesto, which is looking for a transit manager.

Santa Cruz’s William Avery and Associates is set to take a second go at finding a Livingston city manager. The firm helped the city find Eddie Duque, who left in December after two months as the top administrator.

The firm will do another search because the last manager did not stay for at least two years, a fairly common clause in executive search company contracts. There will not be an additional fee, but the city must cover any additional expenses.

Councilman Gurpal Samra said he is mulling a way to bring residents into the process. The city put together a committee in 2012 to aid the process that hired police Chief Ruben Chavez.

“I don’t know if it’s going to (happen), but I’d like to see something like that,” he said.

This story was originally published January 8, 2016 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Hiring quest for executive jobs rolls on for Merced County cities."