City council begins process to find new city manager
City Manager Tom Frutchey has announced his intent to retire in Febuary.
–The Paso Robles City Council held a special meeting Thursday night to initiate the process to replace City Manager Tom Frutchey, who is retiring.
The council spent the first hour and forty minutes Thursday evening discussing the issue in closed session. When they finally began public discussion, they agreed transparency and fairness, including public input, were critical in the selection process.
Councilman Fred Strong also reminded the council that privacy was an issue for potential candidates. “They don’t want to jeopardize their current positions by applying for Paso Robles City Manager.”
The council discussed hiring a private firm to conduct a recruitment search. City Manager Frutchey estimated the cost to reach $40,000, depending on how much the recruiter is asked to perform in the vetting and selection process.
The council voted to appoint councilman Fred Strong and Mayor Steve Martin to an ad hoc city manager selection committee to develop a recruitment strategy and begin the process. Thursday night’s meeting lasted about two hours.
