Brentwood Continues City Manager Search

The search for Brentwood’s next city manager is continuing after one finalist from the first round of applicants declined the job offer.

The city will soon begin to review applications from the second round which closes today, Friday, Jan. 10.

The initial search ended with a declined job offer from finalist David Jones, the current city manager of Ankeny, Iowa.

According to Brentwood Community Relations Director Charles Booth, the job was not offered to either of the other two finalists, Rebecca Fleury of Battle Creek, Mich., or Richard Reade of Okeechobee County, Fla., following Jones’ decline.

The city instead began the search over again under its existing $24,500 contract to hire Government Professional Services, an executive search firm, to do a national search.

“We were unable to come to terms with an acceptable candidate, so we are starting over,” Brentwood Mayor Mark Gorman said in a Nov. 26 news release.

During the Dec. 9 City Commission informational meeting, Gorman said the second round had at that time gathered some 20 applicants.

“Kirk's shoes will be big and hard to fill, but we'll make sure to get it right,” he said. “We're not going to compromise that."

While the specifics of the job remains unchanged, the new posting includes the annual salary range of $225,000-$275,000, and specifies that there is no residency requirement within the city limits, information which was absent from the original posting.

It's unclear at this time if either of the other two first round finalists, Fleury or Reade, have reapplied for the job.

The city said that this second round is “specifically targeting states in the southeast,” and added that “the only additional costs are related to direct advertising costs and travel.”

Longtime City Manager Kirk Bednar will retire in February, having served in the role since 2013, and current Assistant City Manager Jay Evans, who is not seeking the top job, is expected to serve in an interim role while the hiring process for a permanent city manager continues.

The commission is expected to vote on a resolution during the Jan. 27 commission meeting to approve Evans stepping into that role.

“It would be a 15 percent bump to his existing salary while he would be serving in that interim capacity,” Gorman said during Thursday's city commission informational meeting.