Rich: Hunt for assistant starts to narrow
♦ Approximately 70 people applied to be Rome’s new assistant city manager.
Rome City Manager Sammy Rich is getting an even better handle on city operations while continuing the search for an assistant city manager. Patrick Eidson left that post at the end of the year to take a similar position in Carrollton.
In the absence of an assistant, Rich is attending nearly all committee and agency meetings within city government. Typically, the assistant city manager would have direct supervisory responsibility for certain committees.
The city received approximately 70 applications for the job.
“They came with wide-ranging levels of experience, to prior experience as managers and assistant managers,” Rich said. “There are some qualified applicants in the pool. You just have to dive in and go through the process.”
Rich said he has narrowed that field to somewhere around 12 and 15. He has sent each of those candidates a letter requesting additional information and will cull the field even further before conducting personal interviews.
“We’re working through those responses now,” Rich said.
There is no specific timetable for filling the position. Rich said he wants the best fit for the long term.
“I’m looking for someone who will be a good complement to me and my skill set,” Rich said. “Depending on who we end up with and what skills they bring to the table, we may end up with some shuffling of duties.”
The city manager said his administrative assistant Kelley Parker has been a “rockstar” during the interim and his department heads have helped ease the pressure to make a quick decision.
“It’s more about finding the right person than finding one in some time period,” he said.