Candidate drops out of city manager search
It’s clear the recruitment effort has become highly politicized and increasingly divisive
One of the candidates seeking to be Hamilton’s new city manager has suddenly dropped out of the competition, according to an email obtained by The Spectator.
It’s not known if the withdrawal is related to the hue-and-cry over diversifying the all-white, mostly male council hiring committee, which is slated to start interviewing shortlisted candidates Saturday.
Nor is it known how many other candidates are still in the running, or if the contender who dropped out was an internal or external applicant.
What is clear, however, is the recruitment search has become highly politicized and increasingly divisive.
In fact, it’s reached the point where members of the search committee are worried that busloads of diversity advocates may descend on the Niagara-on-theLake resort where the interviews are taking place, potentially compromising the confidentiality of the candidates.
Earlier this week, Mayor Fred Eisenberger went so far as to describe the process as “tainted” and expressed concerns over the “harm” done to council unity created by the controversy.
On top of that, a delegate advocating for increased diversity told councillors that the mostly male hiring committee is “rooted in the idea of white supremacy and male supremacy.”
The “bizarre” turn of events — to use Eisenberger’s word — got started in December when rookie Coun. Maureen Wilson flagged she intended to put forward a motion calling for the use of an “equity, diversity and inclusive (EDI) lens” in the hiring process.
Wilson also proposed changing the makeup of the selection committee to include at least half women and one-third of the newly elected councillors.
The current hiring committee — which interviews candidates and makes a recommendation for council’s approval — consists of Eisenberger and standing committee chairs Sam Merulla, Chad Collins, Maria Pearson and Lloyd Ferguson.
The appointment of chairs to the recruitment team was approved by the previous council based on past practice.
But seven of the 15 members of the new council are now women, including Nrinder Nann, council’s only person of colour. And three of four rookies — Wilson, Nann and John-Paul Danko — have been pushing for the EDI lens and committee expansion.
The problem is, Wilson has withheld her motion from going forward to a vote.
That’s given community advocates and social media warriors time to take up the cause, but it also allowed the hiring process to proceed to the interviewing phase.
This week Wilson, Nann and Danko supported a motion attempting to “pause” the process so it could be discussed at next Wednesday’s council meeting. But most had no appetite for an 11th- hour disruption. It is, after all, entirely possible the committee will select a preferred candidate this weekend.
Nann’s pause motion lost 11-3. But during the lengthy debate, it became apparent there have been backroom attempts to reach a compromise. Eisenberger said suggestions of adding one newbie councillor to the recruitment team were dismissed as “tokenism.”
“And it is tokenism,” Wilson said.
The irony was delegate Karen Bird, a Mac prof who specializes in gender and equity studies, suggested that adding a new councillor ahead of Saturday’s interviews would be an easy fix.
There was also some irony in Denise Christopherson, CEO of YWCA Hamilton, urging councillors to apply a diversity and inclusive lens given that her board of directors and leadership team is exclusively female, at least according to the YWCA website.
Though several councillors expressed support for changing the recruitment method and using an EDI lens in the future, some were plainly troubled that they were being painted as dinosaurs.
It was noted that the consultant steering the process and developing the interview questions is a woman solidly grounded in EDI principles.
And Jason Farr pointedly read out a laundry list of progressive equity and diversity policies and protocols that were revised or initiated by the previous council.
Nonetheless, when people start talking about white and male supremacy, there’s no escaping the reality that the culture wars have landed with a bang at city hall.
A delegate advocating for increased diversity told councillors that the mostly male hiring committee is “rooted in the idea of white supremacy and male supremacy.”