Are there any major differences between being a Planning Director being hired by the Planning Commission or being hired by the City/County Manager, thus answering to the City Council/Board of Commissioners? I am curious how I should approach the difference in interviewing for these two scenarios. Your thoughts...
Satellite City Enabler
Neither for me!
I would only work for a professional city/town manager - it's too frenetic for my blood to report directly to public officials - if they want professional work from me, then they have to treat me like a professional - I serve the needs of officials as outlined in my job description, but I report to another professional -
I am on a 3 year contract and the Council does have the authority to vote to recommend to the Town Manager to sign or not sign my contract, but that's another thread
and I do have friends who deal well working for elected officials directly
Having worked in both situations, I would say that teh prep for the interview would not be that different, however the questions you generaly ask would be. It will be useful to understand teh relationship between the City and the Commission, especially if the Commission has more clients/larger service area than the City.
Too lazy to beat myself up for being to lazy to beat myself up for being too lazy to... well you get the point....
Depending on whether or not the manager is strong or weak, it could be better to keep the council close. This way you would have a better idea of where you stand and be able to fix issues sooner.... Working for a Planning Commission that is appointed and not paid would be strange....and is that for the chairman or the whole commission, or is the commission really a department? The nice thing about working for an manager is that you have more time to work and less time dealing with several elected officials....Originally posted by luckless pedestrian
Neither for me!
I would only work for a professional city/town manager - it's too frenetic for my blood to report directly to public officials - if they want professional work from me, then they have to treat me like a professional - I serve the needs of officials as outlined in my job description, but I report to another professional -
I am on a 3 year contract and the Council does have the authority to vote to recommend to the Town Manager to sign or not sign my contract, but that's another thread
and I do have friends who deal well working for elected officials directly
On the ground, protecting the Cyburbia Shove since 2004.
I think the difference is mostly in the individuals, not the structure. There are managers who can be every bit as capricious as any group of electeds.
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