DOES THE CITY FOLLOW ITS OWN PERSONNEL POLICIES, OR ONLY WHEN CONVENIENT?
Following Council’s October 13 vote to permanently hire Angela Redding, I reviewed the City of Cochran’s Personnel Policy Handbook.
What I found raises serious questions about compliance with the City’s own hiring procedures.
Section III, Paragraph 13, Page 18:The City “will publicize these opportunities for employment” through departmental postings and advertising.
Section III, Paragraph 3, Page 15:“Applications for employment and promotion will only be accepted for open positions as announced and posted.”
Section I, Page 4: The City’s personnel system establishes the “open consideration of qualified applicants”as an objective.
YET THE PERMANENT CITY MANAGER POSITION WAS NEVER ADVERTISED. NOT ONCE.
The City solicited applications for an INTERIM City Manager, a temporary appointment. Those applicants applied for an interim role, not an advertised permanent position.
Qualified professionals who would not leave their current employment for a temporary assignment might very well consider a permanent executive opportunity.
An interim applicant pool is NOT a permanent applicant pool.
Angela Redding was subsequently considered for permanent employment without the City ever announcing or accepting applications for that permanent position.
How can Council claim to have adequately considered qualified candidates for a position it never opened to applicants?
More importantly, how does this process comply with the City’s written personnel policies?
The City Charter authorizes Council to appoint a City Manager, and the handbook contains certain exceptions. However, Council has not publicly identified which exemption or other authority, if any, permits the permanent appointment without advertising.
So the question is simple:
If the recruitment policy applies, what authorized Council to bypass it?
If it does not, identify the specific exemption, ordinance, or adopted policy establishing that exception.
A 4-2 vote establishes Council’s approval. It does not, by itself, establish compliance with the City’s governing policies.
The public deserves a documented explanation.
If the policy was followed, show us how. If an exemption exists, identify it. If an applicable policy was not followed, explain why.
The City of Cochran adopted these policies. The public is asking whether its elected officials followed them.
Candace Wells Summerall
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