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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDocumentation_Special Meeting_Tab 01_07/25/2018 Candidate Essays Received by On AB AB KJ KJ LB LB TP TP VA VA Last Name First Name Number Confirmed Receipt of Essay Instructions* HR** 7/6/18 scores Intv? Scores Intv? Scores Ranking Scores Intv? Scores Intv? Adediran Emmanuel Candidate 2 Fri,Jul 6, 11:40pm Sun,Jul 8, 7:35pm V 75 N 75 75.66 8 90 70 Ardaugh John "Jack" Candidate 6 Fri,Jul 6, 11:17pm Tue,Jul 10,8:22pm T 60 N 75 46.66 14 - N 70 Blankenship Richard Candidate 11 Sat,Jul 7,6:42am Thu,Jul 12,8:44am A 90 Y 95 80 6 - N 85 Clark Brent Candidate 7 Sat,Jul 7, 1:11am Thu,Jul 12, 11:42pm AKLN 95 Y 100 92.33 3 80 90 Cruz Adam E Candidate 4 Sat,Jul 7, 12:25am Mon,Jul 9, 10:53pm AKLN 90 Y 95 93 2 - N 90 Day Timothy Candidate 1 Sat,Jul 7, 12:13am Mon,Jul 9,1:18am ALT 75 N 80 87.3 4 90 90 DiPierro Angelo Candidate 9 Sat,Jul 7, 11:17am Thu,Jul 12, 9:06pm AKLTV 70 N 70 45 15 - N 80 Frankhouser Lee Candidate 5 Mon,Jul 9, 9:49am (VOT email went to spa Tue,Jul 10,4:50pm T 65 N 95 51.66 13 - N 70 GOMEZ ROBIN Candidate 14 Fri,Jul 6, 11:10pm Fri,Jul 13, 11:37am AKLN 80 Y 95 79.66 7 70 90 Lawrence William Candidate 3 Sat,Jul 7, 8:48am Tue,Jul 10, 3:17pm AKLT 80 N 70 93.3 1 80 90 McNaul Lawrence Candidate 13 Sat,Jul 7, 7:03am Fri,Jul 13, 11:OOam AKLTV 85 Y 90 85.66 5 90 90 Ramaglia Francine Candidate 15 Mon,Jul 9, 10:OOam (after VOT called) Fri,Jul 13, 11:51am KV 95 Y 100 61.66 12 70 85 Ratliff Robert Candidate 8 Mon,Jul 9,4:50pm (after VOT called) Thu,Jul 12, 9:52pm AK 90 N 85 66.66 11 - N 70 Strohl David Candidate 10 Mon,Jul 9, 10:39am (after VOT called) Thu,Jul 12, 11:13am AKV 80 N 80 72.33 9 75 80 Temple Adam Candidate 12 Mon,Jul 9, 10:OOam (after VOT called) Fri,Jul 13,8:17am L 70 N 90 71.66 10 80 80 *Essay **Essay Instructions deadline, sent Fri,Jul 6, July 13 at 10:51pm noon Candidate Emma�uel Adediran—Tequesta Village Manager July 8,2018 1. Please describe what the Tequesta community, Village Council and employees will see when they see you coming. In considering the response to this question,my immediate thought was, what is it that I would want to see if I were a Citizen,Council Member,or employee of the Village of Tequesta? My response is that, it would be presumptuous of ine to state"what people will see." However, my belief and leadership experience has taught me that people see things from their own perspectives,experiences,and beliefs. Often, what one sees as an individual, is contrary to what is seen collectively. What I hope to convey in my presence and approach to each of these bodies of people is genuineness, transpazency, and hope. I want my presence as the Village Manager to represent my genuine concern for all of the people of Tequesta Village. My passion for leadership in local government has always been directed towazd creating a safe,clean, and secure environment where citizens and visitors can thrive and enjoy. I take pride in delivering the best services to my community while creating a pristine environment of care for our natural,cultural, and infrastructural assets. In doing so, I provide leadership to employees that transcends in their work ethic and service delivery by offering their best. In my personal and professional life, I have always served with transparency and integrity. This allows me to be open and honest with everyone. The Village Council, employees, and community can expect trust in me at the highest level. I am a straight forward person with no hidden agendas. I provide the truth in every matter and will work with our community for the best outcomes possible. My transparency and integrity is a personal and professional commitment that does not waiver nor falter, and my presence and interactions will convey this at all times. Finally, I recognize that when a leader has served as long as the current Village Manager has served, there may be some apprehension about a new leader coming aboard. As with life,there may even be a sense of loss. Recognizing this, my sincerest desire is that my appearance will convey hope. I want them to know that there is hope in the aspirations of this community that aze yet to be fiilfilled, such as technology and public improvements. Through my leadership,they have an individual who is keenly aware and trained in disaster preparedness,public works,procurement,technology, and utilities. As Tequesta's V illage Manager,my commitment is that this community can expect to progress forwazd, excelling in improvements that help boasts our community as a complement to neighboring communities. 2. How involved have you been in adopting and implementing technological changes in your organization; and how will you use your knowledge and experience to ensure that Tequesta is maximizing technology to enhance customer experience? Candidate Emmanuel Adediran—Tequesta Village Manager July 8,2018 My involvement in adopting and implementing technological changes in my organization has been at the leadership,procurement,and implementation levels. At the senior leadership level, I participated in discussion about technological products and service deliverables for problematic areas of the organization such as, customer service response, public works,public utilities,and accounting systems. In each of these areas, I worked in collaboration with our Department of Information Technology to ensure that we looked externally and internally at the best solutions and the staffmg needs that impacted the organization to sustain such systems. In 2014, I implemented an automated Customer Response System in the City of Richmond Department of Public Works(See, Click, and Fix). This system was implemented because customer complaints were being sent to various departments with no direction and follow-up on resolutions. T'his system streamlined the reporting of issues,response time for resolving the issues, and closeout of work orders created to respond to them. Since implementation, citizens have remarked that they feel satisfied that their public works issues aze being resolved timely. In 2012, I implemented software to improve facility and capital asset management. This system replaced an antiquated system that had become unbearably expensive to maintain. It resolved our work order process for facility maintenance, asset management and evaluation of the life cycle of our equipment. It eliminated manual spreadsheets,reduced phone calls, and the margin of error was greatly reduced. As Village Manager, I will use my knowledge and experience, to enhance the breadth and depth of our organizational knowledge in areas that aze critical to our community and safety by implementing technology that is eff'icient,cost effective, and sustainable. 3. Share with us your thoughts on the statement"Leadership is persuasion,not domination," citing one personal example to support your opinion. "Leadership is persuasion,not domination,"quoted by Daniel Goleman, supports his theory that great leadership consists of management styles and emotional intelligence. While I agree that there are management styles that can be traced in leaders at all levels, it is the emotional intelligence that transforms a manager into a leader. Throughout my career, I have used various management styles to achieve goals because I do not believe that there is a one-size approach to leading people, change,or an organization. I believe that management styles are at best, situational. However, integrity, faimess and consistency in application are core and necessary. Thus, I am Candidate Emmanuel Adediran—Tequesta Village Manager July 8,2018 constantly evaluating my self-awazeness,resilience, and intuitive thinking processes. When I became a Manager in the organization, I had observed various managers who had an iron-clad approach in their leadership style. It was constandy stated, "My way or the highway. " It was this type of leadership that helped me to understand that this approach did not accomplish all that could be accomplished with the use of persuasion and the art of finesse. I learned that people will do more when you treat them fairly, rather than harshly demanding and invoking ultimatums unnecessarily. While serving as Interim Director of Public Works and Utilities for the City of Petersburg,we were challenged with an antiquated billing system, meters and infrastructure that caused citizens to be overbilled, under-billed,or not billed at all. This was not only a managerial problem,but had also become a fiscal nightmare. After careful evaluation of the issues and noting the key areas of need, I began a process of correction. This included correcting the size of pipe fittings, meter sizes, and meter reading. Of course,those that had been taking advantage of the broken system were in uproar. Some of the chief complainers of the corrected system wanted to escape the debt they owed for yeazs of not paying for water and sewer usage. I held one-on-one meetings with most of them and we were able to collect over$500,000 owed to the City of Petersburg within a 3 month period. Our collection rate improved to almost 90% as a result of leading with persuasion rather than dominance. John R."Jack"Ardaugh 1.Please describe what the Tequesta community,Village Council and employees will see when they see you coming? Everyone will see a very engaging and outgoing individual that loves to interact with everyone. They will also see a professional who is very compassionate and tries to help everyone in the best possible way.They will see a team leader and a team player that thoroughly enjoys collaborating with everyone. I want everyone to succeed at every project and task that they are assigned. I am a very forward proactive thinker who comes up with many different ideas for others to consider. I enjoy listening to everyone's thoughts so that I then am able to come up with more thoughts. I do not know all of the other respective candidates,however, I would be very surprised if any other candidate is more outgoing than myself. That does not make me better, but that is who I am. 2.How involved have you been in adopting and implementing technological changes in your organization: and how will you use your knowledge and experience to ensure that Tequesta is maximizing technology to enhance customer service? I was the person in charge of a very comprehensive analysis of the law firm of Spesia,Ayers &Ardaugh. We hired a business analyst to fully evaluate our law fum in order to provide us advice on the things that we could do to best improve our efficiency and effectiveness of our services. Part of the analysis was analyzing and researching what, if any, technological changes that were recommended to be made. We then made various changes to our website to better serve all of our customers in the best possible way. I would request that the Village Council approve hiring the best technology company or person to do a very thorough analysis of the Village of Tequesta's entire website and anything else that deals with technology within the Village. I would reach out to elected officials, staff members, community members other Village Managers andlor anyone else that would have different ideas on how to best address all of the Village of Tequesta's technological issues. 3.Share with us your thoughts on the statement"Leadership is persuasion,not domination,"citing one personal example to support your opinion. I do agree with that statement to a certain extent. A personal example that supports my opinion that"Leadership is persuasion,not domination"occurred in the Village of Manhattan, IL where I have lived for a long time. When I served as Corporation Counsel for the V illage of Manhattan a large residential developer wanted to develop what many residents considered to be a sub-standard large residential development that would have almost doubled the size of the Village. I talked with the Mayor numerous times about the possible detrimental impacts that such a development would have on the Village of Manhattan. I suggested that a community meeting be held so that all community members could listen and voice their opinions regarding this proposed development. Even though the Mayor seemed to be in favor of this development he agreed that such a meeting would be helpful. Over a thousand [1,000] community members attended this meeting at the local junior high school and they adamantly voiced their opinions that they did not believe that this development would in any way be beneficial to the Village of Manhattan. This meeting certainly turned the table on this matter arzd the development thankfully did not proceed. .�'o�,�n�r � '`�a�k" �}�da�.�� I am so grateful that I did persuade the Mayor to hold such a meeting. It was not my thoughts that changed the Mayors and Village Trustees opinions on this proposed development. It was all of the community members voicing their opinions that did so. I am truly proud that by me leading this meeting to occur changed things in a very positive way. I think that leadership can be persuasion in certain ways,however, I am more of a believer that leadership is collaboration. Getting along with others irrespective if you have different opinions is best. Blankenship Written Exercise 1) Please describe what the Tequesta community> Village Council and employees will see when they see you coming? The Tequesta community will see an approachable public servant as their manager who will listen and respond in a thorough and timely manner to their questions and concerns. Community members will see a manager who is involved in the Village and active in Village functions. They will recognize a manager who works with staff to make sure that the community is served in the most effective and efficient manner. Residents and businesses will encounter a manager who works to build consensus in the best interest of Tequesta and strives to continually move the Village forwazd; a manager who is proactive and fosters a proactive attitude within the organization. The Tequesta Council will see a manager who is transparent, responsive and timely. Village council will see a manager who understands he works for the Council and not any one member; a manager who is always pushing the organization in a forward and positive direction. The Village council will experience a manager who will provide Council with all angles of an issue and provide the elected body with all the information and guidance to make an informed decision; a manager who dces not overreact to an issue and handles all issues with a calm and collected decorum; and a manager who thinks outside the box to resolve issues. The employees will see a manager who has an open-door policy and will listen and respond to employee concems in a timely manner. Employees will experience a leader who believes strongly in a team approach to managing the issues of the Village, is a team player and expects his leadership team to be team players as well. They will see a manager who has risen through the ranks and understands issues staff may be faced with, such as why crews may wish to come in earlier in the summer than normal or what it feels like to be faced with an irate citizen who blames staff for circumstances that have nothing to do with Village operations. Employees will enjoy a manager who believes that the greatest resource the Village has is its employees; therefore, a manager who will do whatever he can to provide the employees of the Village the tools and resources they need to do their jobs and grow as an employee. The employees will see a manager who values training of employees so that they can improve performance and serve the Village more efficiently. Community members,elected officials and employees will see a Village manager who will work with everyone in a consistent, collaborative and effective manner that is positive for the Village as a whole. Blankenship Written Exercise 2) How involved have you been in adopting and implementing technological changes in your organization; and how will you use your knowledge and experience to ensure that the Tequesta is maximizing technology to enhance the customer experience? When I arrived at the City of Riviera Beach I observed an organization that was far behind in technology; we were still using forms in triplicate. The priority was to fmd technology that made the payment and registration process more efficient for both the City and the customer as well as reduce the amount of cash that flowed through our system. A software system was budgeted for in FY 17,which purchase would accomplish this;however,the purchase stalled. I applied for a grant from Major League Baseball that also included free use of softwaze that would address our need. We were awazded the grant and free access to League Apps software that allowed customers to register and pay online for our programs. Our immediate need was met,and customers were excited that they could register online and not have to come to the administration office. I was excited that the amount of cash that flowed through our off'ice was greatly reduced, thereby making our location safer for customers and employees. I also purchased and placed into use portable crediddebit card machines.The use of these would further reduce the amount of cash in our system,allow staff to service multiple customers at once,and allow payments to be made at special events. Although there aze fees associated with the use of credit and debit cards,the safety and efficiency outweigh the fee. Eff'iciency in our organization simply did not exist. As registration and payment software were the priority, efficiency in the name of cost reductions was secondazy. I instituted an internet- based sports lighting control system at one facility so that sports lights could be controlled through a webpage,therefore turned on and off remotely. I have also added those controls to a lighting retrofit and pazk retrofit within our pazks system. I have added controls for HVAC and other systems in facilities that make system use eff'icient and will provide a cost reduction. While adding the control systems, I also converted as many lights to LED as fiscally possible; this includes sports lighting, site lighting, interior lighting and parking lot lighting. As part of the effort to lower operating costs and be more efficient,the department entered into an agreement with FPL to install solar collectors at several locations.The goal was not only to be energy efficient but to educate patrons on solar power and its potential. In my career I have also been involved with implementing automated building permit systems, agenda item systems, fiscal management systems, and document management systems. Blankenship Written Exercise 3) Share with us your thoughts on the statement"Leadership is persuasion, not domination", citing one personal example to support your opinion. The statement relates to the point that effective leadership is leadership by example,actions, empathy, communication, and passion; not by bullying, yelling,demanding and fear. Persuasive leadership involves the building of trust by being a leader of my word. Persuasive leadership also involves building respect, which is best accomplished by giving respect. Respecting the elected official's authority,the citizen's right as a taxpayer, and the employee is the real reason that I will be successful. The dominating leader expects to gain trust and respect by an autocratic management style, and in my opinion,this style is counter-productive and damaging to the organization. My personal example of a persuasive leadership style is when I azrived in Riviera Beach. I was the first Caucasian Parks and Recreation Director in the city in 30 years. When I arrived I immediately empowered staff to do what they were hired to do. I allowed the division superintendents to manage their divisions. I supported them in the efforts they wanted to accomplish. I never closed my door,unless requested to do so. I did not require an appointment to meet with an employee or a citizen. I engaged the elected officials in the department, inviting them to events and programs,bringing participants to Council meetings for recognition. I was visible in the community. I presented myself, so residents knew who I was and they would come introduce themselves in the grocery store or the bank and talk about their expectations of ine and the department. I was invited to church several times by residents and I went every time. I knew that showing up and being visible would ensure the community that I was a leader of my word, and I would build trust and respect in the community. I knew that empowering my employees would build trust and respect.And I also knew that engaging the elected off'icials, including state and local officials,would build tnist and respect. All of this was accomplished by example and action. BRENT CLARK 1145 South F Street�Broken Bow,NE 68822 Cell: (308)870-2150�e-mail: mr.brentclark@yahoo.com 1. Please describe what the Tequesta community,Village Council and employees will see when t6ey see you coming? I will be the ideal fit for the Village of Tequesta because from my perspective being a Village Manager isn't just a career; it's a passion that I have to make a difference in people's lives. The Tequesta community will see someone who is available to them 24/7. One of my favorite things to hear from citizens is,"normal City Administrators do not do this." I strive to not only be a great manager for the community, but also its most active citizen. Currently, I volunteer my free time in the community with the Optimist Club,Chamber of Commerce,Lions Club, Custer Economic Development Corporation,Rotary Club, and I also serve on the Salvation Army Board of Directors. Previously, I have worked in other communities where we establish two annual city-wide festivals that are still happening to this day. In Broken Bow,I have created an annual tradition of reading the Polar Express as the conductor during our library holiday open house. I want community members,councilmembers,and employees in every level to know they have a say in how their community is operating. In Broken Bow, I established two weekly radio shows that are called,"Coffee with Brent"where I update the listening azea on things happening in the community. I even give my cell phone number out so people can get ahold of ine with any questions they might have whenever it's convenient for them. One of my first priorities in a new community is establishing a contact list of all media outlets in the region to assure that community activities are being promoted. The Tequesta Village Council will see a very transpazent Village Manager that can work effectively with the council to achieve their goals and the goals of their constituents. They will see an energetic,dedicated,enthusiastic,and a highly motivated leader that enjoys multi-tasking. I approach every situation with a positive attitude and an optimistic outlook. In my experience, you get more productivity out of boards,committees,and employees when you focus on creating a positive working atmosphere. You want people to enjoy waking up every day and coming to woric where they see that their dedication improves the quality of life for the citizens of the community. The Tequesta employees will see a Village Manager who is ready to roll up his sleeves and work right alongside them. I am a firm believer that I would never ask any employee to do something that I'm not willing to do. I have found that an effective manager is one that empowers the employees to accomplish tasks in the most effective and efficient ways possible. I always have an open door policy and I encourage employees to let me know what is happening in their departments. I am not your average Village Manager that sits behind a desk every day. It's truly a team effort when it comes down to it. I hope I have the opportunity to join the team in the Village of Tequesta to continue its proud history of getting things done. �i�'.�(n,T ��r� 2. How involved have you been in adopting and implementing technological changes in your organization; and how will you use your knowledge and experience to ensure that Tequesta is maximizing technology to enhance customer experience? I have grown up in the age of technology and have experience with major technological advances that occur at a rapid speed. While with the City of South Sioux City, I created the first Facebook account for a municipality in the State of Nebraska. While I was an intern, I was the contact person that other communities in Nebraska reached out to when they were trying to navigate the new world of Facebook. The citizen or customer experience was the main reason why we created a Facebook account. The City of South Sioux City has a diverse population so it was critical to post information that was available in multiple languages. While with the City of Dakota City,we adopted and implemented all new water meters that were radio read. This was a major change in a small community that maximized staff time in a more efficient way. Prior to the change it would take anywhere from four to six days to read all of the water meters because the city staff would be constantly pulled in different directions. Once this change was implemented it only took a couple of hours to complete the same task. The most rewarding part of the project was the improved accuracy and information given to customers with the new meters. I've had the opportunity to gain extensive knowledge and experience with the City of Broken Bow when it comes to adopting and implementing technological changes in an organization. We have been able to achieve high expectations and deliver the best quality of life to our citizens while continuing to reduce our property ta�c levy. Over the past three and half years, the City of Broken Bow, like most municipalities across the United States, has been experiencing the retirement of the baby boomers. With this challenge also comes the opportunity to introduce more innovative ways to operate. Some departments within the municipality were operating with six employees that now, with the assistance of technology, are operating with two employees. I am a firm believer in cross training throughout all departments and creating an environment that isn't departmentalized but operates as"one city." Introducing new technology into an organization is not an easy task and you must have support from your department heads, supervisors, staff, the Mayor and Councilmembers. Prior to the major changes I like to host board retreats and employee visioning sessions that are open forum for everyone to express their thoughts as well as concerns. One of the best ways to see if Tequesta is maximizing technology that enhances the customer experience, is by asking the public what more the Village of Tequesta could be doing for them. I have found that surveys with short questions that people can respond to quickly are the most effective. Also, keeping the website, Facebook Page, and Twitter accounts active by posting or sharing items multiple times throughout the day is important. A citizen being able to view photos and videos of themselves at events makes them feel more connected to the community as well as their neighbors. ��,�-� C,�Q�K 3. Share with us your thoughts on the statement"Leadership is persuasion, not domination,"citing one personal example to support your opinion. Recently, I was given the opportunity to take the Insights Discovery profile that identified a framework for self-understanding and development. I feel my results directly relate to the statement above as it stated: "Quick to see the possibilities of new ideas and projects, Brent is outstanding at initiating these and persuading people to support him." I think it is important not to be dominating while in a leadership role when working with a Mayor and Council, staff, and an entire community. It takes an individual who is able to adapt their style to fit different personalities. An effective leader knows that to bring out the best in others,they need to be open to different forms of communication and management. I demonstrate this on a daily basis in Broken Bow. While communicating with my council they respond best to a direct and somewhat authoritative style. Most of them are business owners and fee( it is my job to run the daily operations of the city. Typically, I lay out a few options that would address the issue at hand and they decide the route that best fits what their constituents want. The mayor and I have a very close working relationship. When communicating with him I am most effective utilizing cooperative,collaborative, and somewhat observing methods. It is important to the mayor for his ideas to be heard and highly considered. Over the last three years we have both grown in the ways we communicate and have learned from one another on how to effectively and successfully manage a community with opposite styles. With the city staff, I prefer to use a team-oriented and cooperative style of management. I value team performances as well as individual performance. Recently,we completed a$2 million library expansion/renovation project. The library foundation, library board, library staff,and city council all had key roles in the success of the project. It was my job to coordinate,encourage,and support the project from the beginning to the end. I really enabled the library director and her staff to play major roles in the decision making process throughout the entire project. Ultimately,this is where they work every day,and they know best what the community needs as well as desires from their librazy. I do like to lead by example and during the library project I can't count how many times 1 was onsite in addition to on the roof inspecting issues as they arouse. As an effective leader of others I like to provide inspiration and encouragement to the rest of the team. I like to maintain positive forward momentum that motivates others with my contagious enthusiasm. I think creating an environment that generates high team aspirations will ultimately result in more imaginative,and innovative ways of providing services to the citizens of the community. The end result should always be how to make services more efficient and effective at the same time of increasing the community's quality of life. Writing Exercise: Village Manager Position Adam E. Cruz adam2000cruz@yahoo.com 330 Parker Street Mobile: 862-686-1294 Newark, NJ 07104 1. Please describe what the Tequesta community, Village Council and employees will see when they see you coming. Having served as both an Administrator and as Chief of Staff to a Councilman, I have walked in similar shoes as a Councilmember and experienced the challenges that an elected official faces, while also understanding the administrative aspect of what is involved in delivering the services sought by residents. Having experience in both these roles, the Council, as elected officials of the Village of Tequesta, can be assured that I have the experience necessary to assist them as they perform their daily duties. In addition to the above roles, I also worked for a Housing Authority, which provided me with the opportunity to work in public housing and exposed me to the many needs of families seeking assistance from government. I was asked to serve as Chief of Staff to a Councilman-at-Large, where my staff and I were able to tap into resources available locally, County and Statewide to help the many people contacting our off'ice. We served the entire City of Newark(274,000 residents)unlike a Ward Councilmember,and my job was to ensure that every call,email,resident visiting our office to contact my Councilman was handled satisfactorily regardless of the outcome. Most importantly, customer service was demanded from each staff inember to make the constituent feel that their tax dollars were not being wasted. I participated on panels, walked the neighborhoods, held townhall meetings, met with neighborhood groups, and represented the Councilman as requested. I researched topics of importance to the Councilman and provided insight into proposing new legislation (ordinances), and also advised him of new legislation being proposed by other Councilmembers. My career as a public servant is a few months shy of twenty-five years, and I have grown professionally with every opportunity set in my path. Having served as a Chief of Staff, administrator to a housing authority and finally as a Business Administrator, I have been provided with the knowledge necessary to handle all aspects required to serve as Village Manager. I have served in the capacity of Business Administrator(the term use in New Jersey for Village Manager) under four different Mayors in two cities of much larger demand for municipal services, and with larger populations than the Village of Tequesta. I have carried my"customer service"motto with me ensuring that all Departments provide quality,eff'icient, fiscally sound services they should be providing regardless if the services aze being performed for the residents or employees themselves. Since becoming an Administrator, I have always been involved hands-on in operations and work very closely with Department Directors. Visiting departments, facilities, parks, and driving around town is something I currently do to inspect firsthand how services are delivered. I also meet with employees to get a feeUdifferent perspective as to what is happening in the Departments. Encouraging employees' feedback is important since it has been proven useful to me in implementing positive changes, at times, for the benefit of the residents, or to make some internal processes more productive and efficient for employees in the frontlines. I am a believer in providing the necessary tools and knowledge to our employees and would implement trainings to better serve our residents. As such, when the Village Council and employees see me coming, they will see a person who understands the demands of the role of Village Manager and has the experience to get the job done. Writing Exercise: Village Manager Position Adam E. Cruz adam2000cruzC yahoo.com 330 Parker Street Mobile: 862-686-1294 Newark, NJ 07104 2. How involved have you been in adopting and implementing technological changes in your organization;and how will you use your knowledge and experience to ensure that Tequesta is maximizing technology to enhance customer experience? Technology is evolving in leaps and bounds each day,right in front of our eyes. Our personal lives have become dependent on technology. Smart phones,smart pads,laptops,and the latest "Alexa"by Amazon have become a way of life that tells us what we need by a simple touch of the screen or voice command. For certain services,face-to-face interaction is becoming a thing of the past and being replaced by computer generated actions for the sake of saving time for other personal activities. With this in mind, Municipal Governments too must evolve to meet the needs of its residents by providing up to date services to accommodate its demand. In the long run,properly implemented technology is an effective and less costly alternative to provide efficient services twenty-four hours a day. I was an employee at the Housing Authority of Elizabeth and had the"privilege"of having a desktop computer to perform my daily work. I eventually became the Network Administrator and began to install desktop computers for every employee with a desk. My responsibilities included to stay on top of the changes coming down the pipe as new software was developed and updates became routine. Ever since those days, I know how important it is to continue improving and updating equipment as time gces by. In Perth Amboy,one of the questions asked to me by a Councilmember was if I had visited the website and what were my thoughts. In fact, I had looked at the website and advised him that I felt that it was outdated and in need of an upgrade. They all laughed and agreed and asked that I work on upgrading it. Last year, I added additional funding to the budget lines to replace the website,the phone system, and the switch boazd at the 911 call center. The first change I implemented upon my hiring was making our Marina marketable. I asked the 1T Director to work with the Manager of the Marina to do a photo shoot of what it looked like and place the pictures on the website. The rental of the boat slips went from around 65% to 98°Io for the first time in years. Last year and this year, the rental of slips remained at 98% by the month of May. This year we completed the replacement of the 911 call center switchboard, the phone system, added free WiFi in one public pazk, implemented a lending of free take home MiFi(mobile hotspots)to residents, and are about to complete the City's new website. Perth Amboy is also currently in the process of purchasing new parking pay stations to replace the single head coins only units. The new stations take credit cards, bills, and the user can pay online by means of a smart phone application once the provider is selected. Having been a Network Administrator, I am a big believer in technology and will continue to push for new means as technology continues to evolve. Moreover, I will continue to research best practices in other cities and implement online services to stay on top of new trends that can make our residents interaction with our Village more enjoyable. Writing Exercise: Village Manager Position Adam E. Cruz adam2000cruz @ yahoo.com 330 Parker Street Mobile: 862-686-1294 Newark, NJ 07104 3. Share with us your thoughts on the statement"Leadership is persuasion, not domination,"citing one personal example to support your opinion. This statement in itself is a true testament to what is expected from someone vested with decision making empowerment. Leaders are elected, selected, or appointed based on the qualities they have to offer or by their experience in the corresponding field to complete a task. One trait that leaders must have is a message or vision,and the ability to make followers(subordinates)believe in that vision and follow the best path to achieve that goal. Achieving a goal may not be easy if the leader cannot assess all tools at his/her disposal, and/or the personalities and attitudes of the people needed to carry out tasks to achieve that goal. During High School and my years in college, I performed several blue-collar jobs that include a landscaper,construction laborer and loss prevention detective prior to beginning what I consider my professional career in government. With this background of experiences, it is easy for me to assimilate with employees working at the various levels and appreciate their efforts to get the job done. As leaders, we must have the ability to adapt to the personalities of those involved and tailor their job duties and responsibilities for what needs to get done. During my service as an Administrator I have taken the initiative to lead by example. Getting "inside the trenches" with employees and showing respect for what they do is one way that I show leadership. Showing that you are not afraid to do anything to assist in completing a task eams respect for what we as leaders must accomplish for the organization. Back in 2012 when I was the Assistant Business Administrator in Newark, I found a Facebook posting of a concerned resident frustrated at the City of Newark for not being able to abate an illegal dumping situation across the street from his home. He had reached out to several City agencies,including the Councilman for his wazd and no one was able to assist in a tunely fashion. I contacted the concerned resident to get more details and then proceeded to inspect the location and determine a plan of action. I reached out to the Department of Sanitation to set a time frame to have the debris removed. However, on the day set for the removal I received a call from the superintendent advising me that it was not going to be possible to remove the debris due to the lack of staff. There was only one driver available and no laborers to assist in placing the debris in the garbage truck. Since we had already made a commitment to the resident I told the superintendent that I would meet the driver at the location and that I would place the debris in the truck. The superintendent surprised of my offer told me he too will meet me there to complete the cleanup. We both put on gloves and picked up all the debris from the area. The next few days I received a lot of accolades from the Mayor down to Sanitation workers for having taken matters into my own hands. The action also made it to the ears of a local blogger who contacted me to do a story about the cleanup. I didn't think it was a big deal and told him that I declined to make comments and that it was part of my job. He proceeded to write a short story on his blog and I received many thanks from his followers. A mere title doesn't make a person better than others. As leaders we should be able to continue being who we are both before a title and after a title. In closing, I will leave you with one of my favorite quatcs: "Nearly all men can stand advcrsity, but if you want to tcst a man's character, give him power."—Abraham Lincoln To: Village of Tequesta, Ms. Marlene Reid, Asst. Village Manager/H.R. Director From: Timothy Day-Writing Exercise 1. What I believe the Tequesta community, Village Council and employees will see when they see my coming is themselves. I have been a resident of both large and small communities, I was an elected off'icial in Cape Coral for 9 years and I have served government as an employee most of my adult life. When I say I know how they feel it's because I really have been there. A Village or Town Manager is not about status, it's about responsibility to those you serve and I will never forget that. I hope that all three groups, the Tequesta community, Village Council and the employees see a person who when I extend my hand to say it's nice to meet you know I really mean it. Whether you are a resident,employee or Council member I would like everyone to know that I am here to serve. They will all see that I am a friendly person who will do everything in my power to make them feel comfortable. 'Their concerns or issues become my concern or issue. I am loyal,honest,trustworthy, compassionate and full of energy. At times I can be very inquisitive to make sure I total understand the idea or concept that is being presented. My energy level is high and I derive personal satisfaction at solving problems. I realize it may sound cliche but I do have an open door policy. If I am not in a meeting or taking a phone call I like to meet with people immediately to address their concern. That level of accessibility allows all stakeholders to know I truly caze. Frankly, issues arise that I just may not be able to do what they aze requesting but it is my opportunity to explain why. What I have discovered in all of my yeazs of community involvement is it is not the words you use that people remember the most it is how you made them feel. When people walk out of my office they will know for sure I do care. I have been involved in government in many different positions as my resume reflects and seen a lot of inaction or excuses of the people who are charged with serving their community. This is something that I would never want residents, Village Council Members or employees to ever feel or think about me. Frankly, I categorize those individuals as an empty suit. Government should not be the bureaucracy that many people see it as. Particularly at the local level, it should be transparent and engaging. Obviously people will not realize all of this at first glance but they will within a very short time frame. Whether it is a resident, Village Council member or employee they will realize they can confide in me and should a personal issue arise for them it goes no further than me. In the end I want to be part of the community and I want my family to part of the community. I want to be involved in neighborhood groups and any community activities that allow me to participate in. Over the years I have participated in my community by coaching little league baseball, soccer, church activities and if those opportunities arise in Tequesta I would be happy to participate once again. ( i�nu`�y�C,�� 2. Adopting technology must be embraced by government at all levels. Government cannot lag behind the rest of society rather it should be a leader. We live in a world where news is reported on-line 24 hours a day and we can research just about anything we want information on immediately. When I served with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement back in the 1990's the primary method of tracking law enforcement off'icers around the state was based largely on paper reports. When a new system called ATMS was developed it was met with tremendous resistance from the Regional FDLE Reps that were in the field conducting background checks and certifying new officers. I was one of a small group at FDLE who found ways to correct the issues with programmers and make ATMS a success. It was possible at that time that officers with less than admirable work histories could move from one end of the state to another and gain employment in the law enforcement field. Eventually we persuaded the resistors to give the new system a chance and it worked. Today it is still the primary mechanism for tracking off'icers throughout the state. When I took over the Southwest Florida Public Service Academy in 2002 there was not even a website. I corrected that in short order and the site became utilized immediately. It was used for everything from inquiries for upcoming training, requirements for entry into the academies as well as a well to have contact with my staff and myself immediately. The site is continually being upgraded today but I was the person who implemented it. Later l developed a newsletter in which any law enforcement or fire department can subscribe to. I would not only list the upcoming events but I reproduced stories that had relevance to all the disciplines I served. If a positive or negative event occurred I shared it with the public safety community. That list also gave me the idea to send out surveys annually to the people on my list in order that I could determine what level of service I was providing. When improvements were needed as a result I did not take it as an insult,just a way of providing better service. Just recently in my current position I changed the financial software that had been utilized for almost 10 years. It was called fund balance and it did not provide real time financial data. My budget is almost 11 million dollazs and I knew I needed real time data. It was met by resistance with the 4 employees in the Finance Department at first but today they would tell you they wished it happened earlier.The new system is called Village Management and I have access to the latest financial data immediately. Something else I do at least once a week is sending out email blasts to the community. I cover everything from street closures to recreation information. I began utilizing this right before hurricane Irma and the community really appreciates it. I have not studied the Tequesta website closely enough to determine if this could be done there. It does seem possible because my email blasts get to about 2000 email addresses. This system does allow me to respond to people day or night.They right back with questions or in some cases just their opinions. With a population of approximately 4000 I believe it would work in Tequesta. It would not be practical in larger communities. I will always be on the lookout for technologies that enhance resident's experience. I I�Y1c.�Tv l� !�- � y 3. The question of"leadership is persuasion, not domination" is a topic that I believe I could teach a course on. I have seen and worked for some of the most domineering supervisors and some of the weakest. Leadership is actually an art form because you can teach elements of it but if personality does not buy into it you will struggle. I have described this in the past at a management class at the police academy. I have told participants employees will salute as you go as you go over the cliff when they could have prevented it. The supervisors who have the belief they have all the answers and it's my way or the highway struggle. What I was trying to impress upon new supervisors was if you treat employees as if they have no true value or never listen to their thoughts or opinions when you are about to make a mistake they allow it to happen. Leadership is truly trying to build a consensus and above all else being an active listener. The person who makes decisions without first having an understanding of the ramifications many times does more damage. Whether it is your janitorial staff or department heads every person plays a vital role in the success of the organization. Believe me never take the role of janitorial staff lightly; they travel azound within the organization as though they are invisible. Yet they seem to gather as much information as an intelligence agency. A good leader figures out ways to get employees to function at a higher level without being the dominator. The example that I am going to give you supports my beliefs. The public works employees at Melbourne Beach worked extremely hard for me and they learned how to do many things that were not in their job description. They really felt they wanted new challenges and it made them feel valuable.Enter the new manager, the very first day on the job he shows up to the public works facility at 7:30 am and sees the staff having a coffee. He told them there was a new boss and this behavior was over. What he did not lrnow was this was how we began the day, giving out assignments at this informal meeting and discussing any odd repairs in the town. Those same workers went out of their way for me because I made them feel significant in the town. I ran movies in the park for the children and families on several Friday nights before holidays and those employees volunteered to help me. They just wanted to be a part of something they knew the community enjoyed. That being said that accounts for 95% of Leadership.The remaining 5% and probably less comes in emergency situations where your manager must be authoritative and there is no time for persuasion. For example,hours before hurricane Mathew struck the National Weather Service was calling for a direct strike on Melboume Beach as a strong category-4 storm. I ordered the police to evacuate as well as fire. My direction was all police vehicles and fire apparatus was to be removed from Melbourne Beach and scattered inland. The reason was I did not want all of the equipment in one place because if the worst happened we would not have equipment to get public safety back up and running when the storm passed. In this type of situation authoritative is necessary. The challenge is knowing when persuasion is ineffective and a stronger position must be taken. � illa�;e ��f'Ceyuest� �ngelu F`. lliPierr�► �L�ritin�� I:ler��isk� +Jul� 1�. ?t)1K� ��ill��,e �lan��,er P��sitit�n 1.) Please describe what the Tequesta community, Village Council and employees will see when they see you coming. Lrt �ur prc-Cace thi� respt�n,e #�� �luliu�; lh�ii 1 bc•lac���c�ptihlic �f�ri�i��r c, lycr rtuhlc�.��t ��/pruCc��siures �iiieti it is di►ne ��ell. ���hether s��meone is chosen for puhlic ser�icr. ��r ch����ses to d�� �i�, ,/he sh+�uld �hv�iti s hr able �nd «�illin� t� r�► lhe `'e�tra mile" l„ accomplish the mission, �oal�, and r►b.jecti��es ��f the g�►ti�eromental ��e�anizai.iuo in ��rder tt� nptimi�e �E�ri�irE� delirery �in hehalf �►f its re�idents, c��mrnt:rcia) interests, partners, and clientele. after all, the�� demand no less and shoutd r�cei�e t,he hihhest le��el of ser��ice �;i�en bud�;etar�� constraints and �carre or limited resources. O��e �►f the uaa�iin� put f��rth b� the Ir�endar� h�i;krthall r��ach �►f the l�t'I..� t�ruins,Juh�� 11���►den, i, th�t "F�iilure t�� Prepare iti Yrep�rin� l�► l��ail." ti�� I��nti clues this m�itim tran�latr phil��suphir�ll� iutu lhe mand:;e�Tient �►f I��cal :;�►��rnment'' Pro�-idin�;ser�-ire5 dnd infrastructure f��r the a��mmunit� in�=olF-es co��rdinatin� mental and phtisir.al t:ffort, ���ith the use of��apital assets su��h as structures, equipment, ��ehicles, elc., and the applicalion of technol��g��. C��nductin� pc�riudic internal plannin� ancC stratc���y sE�ssions to a.ti�.re��c and curtstructii•ely c�ritiqu� tuda��'S ser��i�es and infrastructure �+�ould alltn�° f��r crinceptualizin� the needs uf the community for buth lhe .��hurt- ancl lureg-term tutur�tirric� huri:ons. I3�� pruducts ��f such an etercise w�iuld ser��e to focus attentic►n on b��th the rriacro- and micro-lc�vel p�rspectii•e.s pertainin,�� t�� the cnrnrriunitv �'isior�, i�peratii�nal and tinancial pri�►ritie�, and allow for e�aluation, analy5is, deiel��pment of c�►ntin�encies, trouble-shootin;;, problem s��l��in� and, most importantl�,pr�ventiun of hureaue�ralic buttlenE�e�k.s which ma��adti�ertiel�� affeet the customer e_r-perience, [ndeed, �n ��uncr. ��f'pretiention is �ti��►rth a puund of cure_ l uu'll ha��e � clear portrati�at �►f mv pers��nal chardcteristic5 in the re,pr►nse� to the�erund and third sub,ject, of this written e�ercise; h��«�e�er, at this time ['ll proti�ide a summar� in lbe words ufm�� peers and colleagues: • a calm, ��pen-minded, ubser��ant, ener�etic, consummate professiunal w�ith broad and di��erse etpertise t a true n�ent��rl; • a strale�ic thinker �cho can niulti-t�sk 5�Stematicall�� ancl en,j�►�s sol��ing problems (a genuine time, labt►r and capital resourct mana�err; • an anal�tieal ��et fletibly decision-n�al.ei• ��hu can hack-up his rect�mmendati�ms and decisi�rn� with ti�►lid ��ualitatiti-e ��nd quantitati��e inf��rmation I,a a�mmi�n sense practitii�neri; and • an �►r���niced and resourcel'ul lr.am pla��er �rhu embrac.es inno�ali��n, a►mpetent and r�►nfident, respeclfui �nd cunsider�te �,an ethic�l �nd frirndlv per���n��lit� �. �1�� profe�sional mana;emrnt phil�►s+rph�� is grounded in the timeles, thc�►ries, latic;, ��nd r.onrepts proi'essed in the sucial �ciences and bu�iness worid tu garner efticienc��, et�'ecti��enes4, and produc�i�it�. Furthermore. I am ;;uided hv E�rudencc� underi.akin�:.���roartii�e and �•i�ril�cixt approach tu pc�rforrr�irt,�� m� rr.sp�ansihilitie� and duties in urder t�►rrainin:ize 1�u.4ine,.c risk. 1n����l,a ��`_ 1)il'i.�rr�, � ill�i��t- �ls��a���3t•r- 1'�2,iti�,�� 2.) How involved have you been in adopting and implementing technological changes in your organization; and how will you use your knowledge and experience to ensure that Tequesta is maYimizing technology to enhance customer service? ��i�i�in� .lu,titica�i��n� arad ��u,inr,� rr���ufrrmrn��, i�al�lc�inrntin�;, tc�,tin�, ar►�1 been intima�el� iti�uiled �s�ith upd�tin„ techn�►l��ical e��hancetnents t�►r i.he hf�nrtit nf t�ac= c'r�tire ur�uni_utir�n anct/��r mv uttice. lutumation i�r corraputc-r1.-�c� irrriu��atiuns sh��uld at a minimum be �mpl����ed l�r: (a) �rrzpr��ti�e int�rnal/externul.ti�er►•ic�� dc�li��erti�: (b)pro��idE� ctata and d��tailE�cl inf��rmati��n lo inte�re_ctc�d partiE�.: (e)all���• f��r rumi►zurtic�ztion ancl t���clhack: (d) �ru�•ide the meczrr� hc ��hich custi�mer�� rurt runduct their hu��irtess «�ith the �-illa��� in a c•lc�ar ar�d strai�htfi�r►+•ard rrzann��r: (e) r��ntrnl, rec�o��er anrl/nr ai•ui�l c��»�ts: und (fl „enerate directJindirect sac-in��5 �ia a return on in�e;�menl — that is, a reas�>nable pac-back peri�►d. For etample, computerized automation has becn � c�c�r�trul c��rnpr�n�e<nt in tl�e cc�mplete turnaruund uC a troubled Nalm Kearh C'uunt�� ��►�ernment�l pru�;r�m [ wa� c�►mmissioned l�► mana�e tr�nsf'ormin� il inti� d ti�p tli�;hl operatic�n �erterating enurrn��uc rei•enut� streants �vhieh r�ple�nish thc� huci��t.� �r�r 1)epartmE�rttc%a�enci�s and Nurtrt�r f;nlitiE�s (r�t��re c�bnut thi.5� e.ipE�ric�r�ce in my thircf re�sport.seJ. �1'he l�i.t�cf _�sse�t.s� BiddinL� Svste�rre IF�:aB,S) is a pr��prietary point-��f=salt auetion (c�ward � hidc�inKJ, retail, dataha.c�e, in��c�ntury, artd repartin�� applieation de�•eloped in-huusc� with the tl�_ribility t�� e_rpancl und aer��mmodat� mudifications duc to rerisiuns in laws nr industry standarcls. ,additi��n�lly�, it �4as dc�si��►z�d .��o il rould he inte��rated with und bi-direr�iunally c�nrrtnzunicate ►vith thE� ('��ur�tv-wide Lni�erttury ti/ana�c<►nent� C��ntrnl �r�d Centraliz�d F'inuncial _t�/anagement Systc�ms. Furthermore, it also ser��es a� the source frorn which detdiled financials are �enerated �r�hich, in turn, pro�ide man�� ��perati+►nal, dccountin�, and �ither tinancial mana;;ement business metrics �nd perfurmance measures. Its lon�e��ih is a testarnent lo tbe uualit� of'its pl�nnin„, desi<�n, main�enance, �nd upciales fron�i incepliun-tr�-date. �n�►ther etample, �r�hict� d����etuit.s the H�:�I�S, is th�t ntarkc;�ting c�fc�rt.ti� include t:-Card nntifte•ation� f��r C��untti auetii�n� direetin� cust��rriers t�� Pc��ec un the IntF�rnet Si.te� �ti��te: the lntranet 5ite is the detiniti��e s�►urce of i�t'ormati�►n f'nr internal �►rganizatiunal cominunicati�m►. Eristin� and patential customers can access lhe [ntr.rnel �ite Na�es for a ;�rral deal ��f inf��rmatiun pro��ided in an easc t« use trarisparent f�►rmal consistin�; ��f, hut not limited t��, lhe follo�iin�: ��per:�tin�, mis5ic►n and purpi�se; �uction rules and pr��cedures; form� and instructi��nti in��ludin� registratiun; histurical results, current opp�►rlunities, and future ��ff'ers; etc. i The Nartner l�:ntities also hac�e access ��ia their ��ticn desi�nated p�►rtals.) l�u rn�ure kh:�t thr I�ec{ue�t�� ��n err�ment utili�e� trchn��l�a�� li�enh<�t�ce ��u.t��mer ,er�ire an iru��rnul ,u►•plu,/rrc•c�ct� u,;c�•���rn��nt �,�ith app/ic�d rr,�cnrrh un�l ��_rcu�tlytc7tt��n �hucrlcl hc� r•uri�tu�•t�-�l ht Jr�nrtiuraal uitc! �hur�-d ure�u� ut nprruti���rt�. [�l�e purpi���;e��F t.hi> undrrt<tl.in� i; lu �,�atl�rr rurr��tr•r���ti��t�e�r�rfr�nt rt��cutcf i�lt�cr� nr �tt��, upprncrc�hc�� tu dc�t<�rminr tltc� E�tfic•urr n/�thr f�.rr,tirt� t<���{�rtulu�ti i��►f'tr�are/��plicatiun,. >»trm d��rumrnt�itiun. h�irci«dre �� peri�heral,,truiqin�� in rnrnpari�+,u t�►the t illit,,c>', ha��r=rrc�+��rc�yuir��me�r�.r�. fhr,e rryuir+ement, n�u,t hr rle�rl� idrntifircl ��nd c•�plained t�► rucliJti� ctc�tie•irirc�i���� +���h�it i, �urplu��, rrdundant, uh��►lete� �i�-a-�iti ��h��t i� c�s_�c�irtial, up-tu-ciat��, aitcl ie,c�Jc�l. �l�her� p�»>ible allernati�e� n���� he p►-up�►�ed �1t�n�� 4��itti � tor�ca�trd time t�ble, �•��;i t=stitnatr�,, and pa�-I�at�l. �r�,jerti��n�. It i� e�seniial th��t empl�►�e« «�hu �re repre�entati�� �►f thcs �►r���niiatiun'> �taff'in�f r�►«�plement, e.�., p�n�er u,rrs ��nd +,ther,. �ire �,i�rn th�• �►p��urttmit� [�, c�►ntrihutt 1„ the �li,���l>,iu�� a• ��rl! u> ;t<�I.eh��ldri-,, c.�.. thc� t ill���e'� ru�l��mt�r�. �urh �� pr�►cr>� �h��ulcl �ield a ,ummzu-� ut�findii���� �ind �iahlr rer+�tl�uaet�datiuu,. 1)ependin, +��� ti�e .�•�►pe �►f the }�r�►ject. f��rm�l prurw•rment ,uii�•itati��a. ra�a� hr �ai•t ��i' tht� ti°t{u<�ti��n, i�l� ru��tiult�in�, >ertire�, t��r in;l<tn�•c: ht►�ie�rr, thr r�►l�ertt�►tt �►I� ��pti�»�� .hiruld hr i+m�tcit�rc•d t» ti�t� 1 tflc���c�'� rnurtc�t��c�rr�c�rtt t��unt �t hu �++>ultl tht�n hr ch�tr��rd ��itl� prc'p�n•i»� u �•«n;<�t,tr, rf����rt tr�r(�r�'�r�ttcttt��rjt tu thc l illa;e (��uu«��il fr�r d��lihc�rutrurr �ind�tirrrti��it. �n��cl�� F. 1)i!'it�rr�► ��i11<���t= �t��n,i_�c�r P+��iia���a 3.) Share with us your thoughts on the statement "Leadership is persuasion, not domination," citing one personal example to support your opinion. �e�eral �eat-, a�u, �er��i+i� 1'aln� f�edcii l uunt� ut�l�icial, ret�uc�ted n�r l�► l��r �►+�er a truuhlr.c� �►l��t�i�e larkin� leadership and h� e�lensi�►n the art �►f per�ua.�ii►n. ,►ust as eft'ec[ic��e tea��hin� requires .ubjecl RYattr.r kno�tiled�e �nd thr tikill t�� present and reinfiirce less��n pl�na ���iti� ,tudent:, �lon� �+�ith an appr�►pri�te mea•ure �►f enct►ura�eme�t, there iti a �ric�r�rE� and ur� t�� effc�rtis�e nauna,��mcnt. h;�pertise w hen supported b�� assuranrr5 based +►n ,�►unci and prudeni prinriple5 rather than opini��n, misperception, misinterpretati��n, or misinf�irmali�►n can ser�-e t�� cun�ince e��e:n �he most t'er�ent tikeptic5. �I�liere are m:�n�- elamples uf m�� pr�►fes5iunal leadership arn��n� �hem heing the puhli�hin� and implen�ent��tion of a prNs�c•ient Ku.cifaess Ylan e5tah6shin�; c��re busine�s metricslke�� perform��nce indicatur5 i[�P[s►ltinxncials; '`Yrc�sent /_��sue�.�: 1��uturf� I�i.si��n," a long-ran�;r ('apiiat ln�pr�,��ement Plan prescrihing rconomic de��lopment and re�il�lizati�►n f��r L��est P�ilm 13each'� do4�nt�����n arealcentral husiness district; ":t�lczeimi:in; S"r�ur Inrc�stmt�nt Ri�c•u�•en� SCr�it��y," :� pre�entatir►n deli��ered at the Hluricl�i {:o�-ernment Finance Officers .�ss�►ciaiion annu�l C+�nf'erence; the Ylci�•;�r��und ti�r atl f�ilrlr��rz in Vew �"orl� t'it��; and the one e�ample t w�ill usY t�� supp��rt. m�� ��piniun is the �5-rlay C�apitat _as.�Yt ('hallenkc�. 7`h��u�;h not �per.iticall� r�yuired b�� la��� or industrti� �tandard, the purp��.e ar�d �cc►pe i�f the ��-da�� (�'hallen�e nlade to mc stat'f called for aca�mp�ishin� the task uf p��stin� entries and aftitin� electruni�all� rr.adahle har-c��de decal� earh fiscdl cear on �ereral th��usand c�pital asset acquisitions within �i-real tirne clay.�� tr�►m the u�mr��encement of the t.rackin�; c�cle (,this ��yuc�te�s t� 3/)-husiness days �hen adjusCin;; ('�►r ���eekends, h��tida��s, lea��e, etc.�. B� takin�ad�anta�e ot'the existin�, at�ailable techn��l�►��� and �ome cnmputer pro�ramn�in� and re- pro;ramntin�in the t'urm ut��hc�[l r�cx�rd,�eneratiun pr��cc�ssin,�� and the ur,ani;in,�� ��f'ctutc�and re�p<lrts tu E�n.��urE� thc�r� is a dE>tailc�c!audit trail, dramatic impru��ements were created in the «�ork tlow processin� enabling stat'f t�� realice ne«� found efti�ien��ies. (.'����eyuentl�, the a�era�e time tta p�„i capitai asset records in the C:entralired Fin�ncial �[dna�rinent ti��stem and afti� decals is les� than +�ne-hall' the ��- da� parameler. �earh� all new� acquisiti�►n�, includin� those ass�►ciated ��ith ('��nstrurtion �1"<�rk-in- Pru�re�; pr��jects, are completed within the time frame etcept for � f'�ti►� lar�e, crated pieces of equipment for uperati+�n5 5ur.h as water ulilities. l-nderstanclahl�, equipment +�f this nature requires installation �nd testin� het'ore permanent depl��cnient can be c��ntirmed. Such an impres5i�e result is n�►t onl� an �iutslandin; performanee measure hut.alsu�����urce��t'pride f��r a ri ell-deser��in� ,laff — trat�°, a�i illustrdti��n +►f' an etemplarr hands-un �e:�m efF+�rl. ti��l�at makes this uutcr�m� e��en m�►re cumpellirc� i5 the ,;eu��raphir ciz� nf the Cuunti� and thc tere, ��f`thncasunit�c nf' ��apital ac.setc us�e�l in se��eral hundred,���i•e�r•nmental fae•ilitic>> cprcad acrn��,tfce larccl ma.c,�. �[��re�n�er, clue tn ('ount�°w�ide �peitdin.� re�trenrhrree✓al a decadc� a�c� the uffic�e's bud��et ►va� rut hy` surne 30�� irtcludin� lhc� l��s� uf�sei•erulJ'ull-timc.�tuf/�p��sitiuris nicuniri�� there�hai•c�h�c�n ei�e�ra lt��s res��urce.��ez�si,�rzE�d t��thE�task thure «•hc�n t{ae -li-duv C'ltullert�;c• ►vrx�pr��pu�c�d. l�ir��ll�. Iri n�e ���,or(��cle tlii, re,pu��,�� h� ,1i�rin�� ��itl� ���u ll��at �� �rt-,�� �r��rr�ur��t� i, in-�r,��.;rs•>, ��hereh� it i� �•��ntrmplatetl the ( nunf< <�ili �rr��ratc fr�►m hcr.r-rucle;t�rar�n.rrr; trt•hrtn/<r�r�� t�� Racli�, l�rc�yuc�nc•r /dcytt{.jic•utiurt hrtandin�. l�l�i, E�r�rjert huld� th� pr�►mi�r �►t'�i��t ha�t�t����turti� �czrirt-�� !irtclirrc�t ctrt�l �lirc�ct ru,t r��cl�ictiurr>> h�� trunstr�rrrn��=„ thc ��urictz�ct +�/�th�� ujin�iul pht`,i��cil irr��c�rat,�rti� pr,�rc�ti tru►�r u lcrhr,r tu i•apitul rr�tlrrt;ii�r cte�ti;�i��� �r{t/�t tlte� udclr�cl brrr.e•Jit u�� c��t{iurtc•c�d 1-e�u.l tir�rE� clattrhu���� ni�nt�u,;,���ntci7t. 1�}ie imp��rt-ant Ic�,.,��n tu he learn�d i. th�it it i, I���r e��•ier tu ,ati�� c��t�n a rel�iti�t°h �mall ��r�•rc�nta:,��� �>t� t�e hud�et than tu �enrralt� .i c��rre•p�►ndiii�, pc�rrc�n��i�;r i��t�rea,r fru�i� a ri°�enur ,ir��am -- th�►u��l� �hr n�ean, und et�f�►rtti differ h�ith n�eth��d, ���►uld �ield 1hr• ,xn�e end i-r•�ult. WRITING EXERCISE Village Manager Position Lee Frankhouser lee.frankhouser@ live.com 561-632-7885 Please describe what the Tequesta community,Village Council and employees will see when they see you coming. They will see and experience a very conf'ident yet humble professional and neighbor that is eager to interact and develop relationships. They will see someone who is genuinely interested to hear what they have to say. They will see someone who gives them conf'idence that they are being heard without bias and will act quickly to resolve problems and implement necessary change when necessary. They will see someone who is not afraid to make difficult and unpopular decisions but will be completely transparent with the reasons behind those decisions. They will see someone who looks to make positive changes even when things are going great. I hope after a little time they will see a leader they are proud to work with and accept as an active working partner. How involved have you been in adopting and implementing technological changes in your organization; and how will you use your knowledge and experience to ensure that Tequesta is maximizing technology to enhance customer experience? As the PresidendC00 of a$600 million commercial bank over the past ten yeazs, I was responsible for all commercial and retail lending. Over that time I managed a project to implement a data system that completely eliminated all paper loan and administrative files. Upon final implementation all loan files, tax records, payment records, and client correspondence was stored and accessible electronically. "I'his not only saved filing space and long term storage space but it made our loan officers and support staff more efficient and improved customer service tremendously. Information was available real time to our staff. I also managed a project to create a real time virtual check and deposit taking process. Tellers were then able to see at all times if they were in balance and eliminate the end of day balancing. This saved at least 30 minutes at the end of each day. I have been in involved with a number of other projects from website upgrades to remote capture banking, i.e. banking from a smart phone. I would initially want to study what technologies the village utilizes from document storage,to finance,to marketing,to HR, to make sure that existing vendors are complying with existing contracts and when appropriate negotiate more favorable terms. I would also reach out to companies and vendors I have done business with over the past Lee Frankhouser Page 2 ten yeazs to seek out second opinions on systems or technologies that a department(s) may have issues with. Additionally, I would establish an TT Committee across all departments. Share with us your thoughts on the statement"Leadership is persuasion,not domination,"citing one personal example to support your opinion. I'm sure you have all had discussions in your careers on the topic of Leader versus Manager. Are they the same? Can one person be both? I realize the title of this position is"Manager"but it seems to me to be a position that requires a great"Leader"who also has skills to"manage"things like project completions, regulatory compliance,budgets, etc. A great Leader leads and works with people. Those who work with a great leader know and trust that the leader will make them better and consequently make the organization better. I hate it when a friend,neighbor,associate, other professionals say "so and so"works"for"me. Or this is"my"department or"my group". I have always tried to create a work"with"environment. It's not rocket science to understand that organizations that truly empower their people are more successful. It is vital,however,to have and retain great people. A great leader must always make sure a great team is in place and that the right people aze in the right positions. As President/COO of the bank I was responsible for creating implementing the company's strategic plan. The plan started with five or six major objectives for the year and then each objective was supported by the tactics that would be executed to achieve the goal. My ongoing responsibility for this major project was to assign a leader to each objective and communicate how we would determine if the objective was on track for accomplishment. I worked"with"each leader to successfully implement the plan each year until we built a company that sold and doubled our shareholders' investment. Robin Ignacio Gdmez—Answer to Question 1—what will Tequesta see wken they see me coming. The Tequesta community, Village Council, and employees will see a caring, dynamic, innovative, hard- working, fiscally responsive Manager, resident, and contributing community member of the Village of Tequesta. From day one as the Tequesta Village Manager I will faithfully and with all my abilities and efforts continue to ensure that all Tequesta residents, businesses,and visitors receive the highest and most efficient and effective level of village services. My primary goal will be to continue to enhance the very high Tequesta quality of life known as a fabulous community and destination to live, learn,work,and play. I know that I will only succeed through the collective collaboration among the Village Council, Village employees,residents,businesses, and visitors to ultimateiy continue to progress to unprecedented levels of local government excellence in line with Tequesta's vision and mission. I am a very personable, humble individual only interested in constantly ensuring that local government works for the people. Since I began to truly understand how government works ax the age of 16, I began my initial desire to eventually work for local govemment by continuing my higher education in political science &economics as an undergraduate at the University of Miami (obtained BA in 1994) followed by an eventual Masters in Public Administration from the University of South Florida in Tampa (2000). I began my work career in 1994 as a student intern at the City of Clearwater, FL,eventually hired full-time as an auditor in September 1996, and promoted twice to the final position I held in Clearwater as the City Auditor from December 1999 until November 2015 when I departed to become the Fairmont, WV, City Manager. In my nearly twenty-two(22)years as a full-time local government professional,the most recent thirty-one (31) months as a city manager, I have experienced tremendous success in two vastly diverse cities by listening and collaborating via multiple methods (in person/in the field, via telephone-land/mobile, electronic/social media) with thousands of individuals regarding dozens of topics, industries, and issues from economic/business development to public safety to quality of life/leisure activities to utilities distribution to social issues. In my twenty-one (21) total years in Clearwater, FL, I also provided the comprehensive city services to a fast-growing Hispanic-Latino demographic in my native Spanish language. Consequently, Tequesta will see me as a dedicated, community friend who recognizes and embodies everyone's uniqueness, our diversity of thought, and our willingness to truly listen, celebrate,and interact with all peoples in our community. As the youngest of five, father of two daughters(married to my high school sweetheart for over 19 years), and having resided in two countries and eight cities in five states, I am also vastly knowledgeable on the importance of family and the caring for the well-being of others. My parents have and continue to impart on me to share my talents and activities in my career beyond the job by continuing to improve myself, continuing to develop positive relationships with those I serve, by volunteering, and by doing everything possible to engage as many as possible to share and celebrate the over-all importance of family and community. I currently care very much about my Fairmont,W V,community as evidenced by the hundreds of residents and business owners who have commented to me (and many on City Council)that they never expected to see our city manager participating and working in so many different areas/activities, particularly outside the office: from volunteering at community activities, to responding in person to various service/concems (pazking,public safety,utilities,parks, overgrown yards, code enforcement and much more),to picking up trash on the way to or after work/weekends,to helping promote and actually attending numemus community eventslactivities,and much more. Tequesta will see even more of what I have accomplished in my current position because I truly believe I am the best person who will do everything possible to make Tequesta an even better community to live, learn, work,and play. Robin Ignacio Gdmez—Answer to Question 2—adopting, implementing,maximizing techno[ogy. In 2018, local govemment must incorporate technology into its daily service provision. Whether it is office and field employees utilizing mobile devices such as smartphones,tablets, laptops or the public accessing City information/software applications to pay a utility bill or reserve a recreation facility, technology encompasses just about every [ocal govemment service. I have been very invo(ved in numerous technological developments and applications in my nearly twenty-two (22) yeazs of full-time local government work and will continue the same in Tequesta. My involvement in technology has always been to promote and enhance work/empioyee efficiencies and to provide for easier public access (promote transparency/accountability)to city/town/village services at any time from just about anywhere. In 1999 I became the first department head in Clearwater to regularly utilize and encourage the employee expansion and utilization of laptops (in lieu of desktops) to ma�cimize efficiency and customer service delivery,both internally and externally. The initial additional cost of a laptop in the late 1990's(until costs equalized in the late 2000's)was more than offset by the ability to complete tasks smarter and faster as they could be accomplished at any time from multiple locations even in neighborhoods. Utilizing mobile computing equipment and software for multiple tasks including resident interaction,researching/analyzing information, completing reports, preparing spreadsheets, and other utilization greatly enhanced over-all municipal efficiency and effectiveness. As the World Wide Web grew throughout the 1990's, I ensured that my city was at the forefront with both a dynamic presence and a valued portal for service access. Numerous software applications and electronic communications including building permit data/access,police summary calls for service,utility billing,and recreation program reservations quickly became the norm. Technological expansion also allowed for various applications in the field as employees embraced the ability to complete tasks quicker and more precisely including the more accurate accounting of various infrastntcture from utility lines to fire hydrants to the thousands of trees on City rights-of-way. Over-all, the technological enhancements I directly recommended and assisted in their implementation facilitated and greatly enhanced both resident engagement(with their local government)and employee motivation and success. Progressing into the 2010's through 2018, I similarly ensured that the two cities I have worked for (Fairmont, WV, since Dec 2015) continued innovating via new and expanded technologies,again with the primary goal to make local government more efficient,more approachable/`closer' to the people,and more productive. Various projects included: automated police citationiticket processes - scanning driver licenses, in lieu of manually typing information, and split-second in-cruiser printing; automating payroll processes - eliminating paper usage and its storage; pay-by-phone/mobile parking applications that drastically reduced usage and storage of cash, mainly coins; scanning all historical documents such as building permits, Council agendas/minutes, police records, essentially any and all print documents into protected servers with both an internal and extemal (public) usage/accessibility; automated meter infrastructure/reading(AMI/AMR) for customers to view historical (up to 12 months) actual, daity water usage; free on-line payment options for various city services including utility bill, building permits, recreation reservations,and various taxes;and tablets for the Fairmont nine(9)Council members to reduce paper usage and storage and maximize communications and processes particularly for council work sessions and meetings. While the above is a sample of some of my direct participation and experiences, it is important to note that all decisions were very thoroughly researched for internal and external usability and for its cost-benefit. Additionally,all reviews incorporated at all stages including post-implementation,detailed interna(control policies/procedures to ensure optimal security. As the examples above indicate, I will continue to devote significant efforts to maximize technology in Tequesta to enhance all customer participation and experiences. Robin Ignacio Gomez—Answer to Question 3—Leaderskip is persuasion,not domination Motivating, guiding, explaining, helping to understand, setting clear/concise expectations, leading/managing by example — I daily utilize these managemendleadership traits in my City Manager work. A manager's role is to provide reasonable and adequate overview and guidance to ensure the organization meets its objectives and goals. Additionally, adequate infrastructure, equipment, and budgetary resources are a must. To effectively manage a city/town/village, the manager must carefully balance the referenced management/leadership traits in a persuasive manner to obtain optimal/maximum success. Anything less than persuasive leadership/management will create conflict and likely lead to declining morale,motivation,and uitimately poor performance. For the past thirty-one (31) months 1 have managed a City utilizing the above traits to ensure that all our City teams/groups from the senior executive to field employees understand that my expectations are for all employees to possess and utilize all the tools pmvided to succeed (to provide the most efficient/effective municipal services). A collaborative, collegial environment where all employees are allowed to provide various forms of feedback via suggestions, concerns, areas for improvement, etc., allows for a more productive and motivated work place. I daily follow the concepts that success is easily achieved if employees aze allowed to innovate, `think outside the box,' and ultimately have a direct say in their work product. That is the constant leadership persuasion attributes that I possess and will continue to impart at the Village of Tequesta. A specific example of my persuasive leadership (not domination) involves the fostering of additional economic developmendredevelopment through various process alterations particularly development flexibility and city beautification. I have implemented and directed an ongoing campaign and collaboration to promote and enhance numerous developmendredevelopment projects by applying significant flexibility (all complying with our City codes) based on the developer's requests and designs. Strict code interpretations greatly limited and restricted development in Fairmont until early 2016 when a thorough legal review of our planning/zoning/land use allowed for the City Manager to approve numerous requests for greater flexibility. The change allowed for developments to nearly double from 2015 to 2017, from an annual average of $14M to over $26M. Explaining in great detail the changes/adjustments and incorporating staff participation throughout the entire process required considerable collaborative and persuasive leadership skills. I did not demand or state that we were definitely going to make the changes, I allowed for considerable input from all areas of the City involved in all development aspects. The program additionally provided for faster processes to beautify the City through landscaping, architectural and roadway design, trash/litter abatement, wa�nding enhancements, and ultimately consolidated planning/permitting processes. Over-all, I truly abide by the concepts of constant communication, collaboration, and partnerships in my managemendleadership style. Ultimately the CityNillage Council provides considerable policy and legislative guidance that the manager must execute. Keeping the Council informed,listening to their ideas, and understanding the over-all mission and vision are similarly extremely important in effectively managing a city/town/village. I will offer my complete managemendleadership skills to the Village of Tequesta to ensure our ultimate continued success. Village ot Tequesta Writing Exercise by William Lawrence Question 1. Please describe what the Tequesta community, Village Council and employees will see when they see you coming? The Tequesta Community, Village Council and emptoyees will see a confident,aIways smiling approachable person walk into their lives that has great listening skills and wants to hear their issues and get to know them. I appreciate the value everyoae wiiJ bring to ensure the best quality of life for everyone who lives works and visits Tequesta. I understand change is difficult and when the leadership changes this makes the employees and community anxious. I feel it will be easier for me to change and lcarn the cuaent system. After a few months understanding the curtent system, I would bring my experience from working in several systems into play with input from employees,Mayor and ViUage Council. This would only be done if we can operate more efficiently by delivering the same or better services at a reduce cos� My management style is a cvllaborative style. I have an apen door policy so i am assessable to the community,staff,Mayor and Village Council. t believe in developing trust and relationships with staff,elected officials,the community,county and scate officials. I hs�ve a proven track record of c4ming into towns that are in current state of upheava! and bringing calmness to the town. I b�litve ia leading by example. A leaders should be competent. If[do not know the answers, I will tell you I don't and utilize my resources to find the answers. I believe your employees are the baekbone of organization. I praise in public and criticize in pcivate. I allow input and give public recognition for those ideas. I realize that employees want to feel value and that they have been heard. I will always listen to those who are doing the work and give them the credit. I have studied many successful conches, busincsses and government leadcrs and have learned this team concept. When the team fauls the coach(manager)will take the responsibiiity but when the team wins.The[eam gets the credit. I hold s[aff ineetings for team building, accountability, problems solving and transparency. I am an active member of tbe commuxity and get involved in community events. I believe the manager should be visible to the public and will take time during the week and go out to the commuoity. I visit businesses and meet with social groaps. My wife and I attend events such as ball games,parades,and festivals. I believe it is important to be seen as a part of ihe community. You must build trust in order ta build relationships. This has been vaIuable to me when working on projects to get appmv�l and in economic development projects. I have learned over the ye.sirs that I may not have all the answer but other people will. By working together, we caa solve problems facing the community. Gett�ng Projects Accomplish:The community likes to see things being accomplished. 1 would be working with the Mayor and Village Council and employees to list the priarides, establish plans with a time line and keep everyone up to date on the status of these projects. I believe in setting goals,develop a written plan with a time line and taking action steps to get the goals accomplished. 'TEie Tequesta Commu�ity will see someone who is passionate about public service at the local level who wi11 work tirelessly to ensure the best quality af life possible to those who live,work and visit the village. They will see someone who is not afraid ta tackle and sotve problems. They will see someone who is fiscally conservative without sacrificing the level of service to the viUage. Village of Tequesta Writin�Exercise by Willism Lawrence Questian 2. How involved have I been in adopting and implementing technology changes in my current town and how will my knowledge and experience ensure that Tequesta is maximizing technology to enhance customer service? Our customers have came to expect that their needs well be met quickly.Technology has made it easier than ever for residents to participate in discussions with municipal leaders. When I first came to the Town of Warren they had a WordPress blog that was run by a town resident for free. It was impossible to get any content on the blog. We currently huve a website that allows us to contral the content. I am currently the administratar for the website. We have become very transparent using the website. I post weekly managers reports on the website that lets everyone know what has been accomplished for the week, awazds given and recognition to employees. We also post our town report,draft&adopted budgets,audit reports, agendas etc.The citizens have responded on how well they like the website and knowing what is going on in town. The website also allaws residents to pay far boat& atv registrations, to view tax maps,to pay your property t�uces, hunting& fishing licenses,burning permits from the comfort of their homes 247. We use the website to promote events and have a calendar to anyone can view the dates for council meetings,planning boards and other events. . Social Media is another great tool to use. 'The key is getting citizens to fallow you. While working fa the Bangor Police Department, we started a facebook page. We posted a funny idea with a wooden duck that was placed in various locations at tttc poiice department with different officers. We posted the photos with comments.The results were 400,000 new followers and people coming fotm all over the country to visit this wooden duek in the Police Museum. These visitors stay in the city hotels,eat in the restaurants and shop in the stores. The police department has developed positive relationships tocally and across the nation. You do need to be cautious about what content you are going to post. We are always looking for the residents help.This has been a great way to interact with your community and a great format to give recognition to your citizens. We have located runaway dogs,solve crime, given traftic teports and weather conditions etc. I also liked to use Linkedin,a professiona! network, I have close to 4,000 contacts across the country and share resources and information that can bo�efit ti�e community.. We started usin�DebidCredit transactiot�at our couater because most customers do not carry cash. T'his tuis greatly enhance our customer service experience. This was a simple process to get done with ao cost to the town. Drones have become successful in Maine. Fire departments use them at structure fires to determine the hot spots of the fire and wher�ro attack the fire safely. The police have used them to locate missing people, track suspects ctc. Ongoing education is a must in technology because it is changing constandy. We as a community need to keep abreast of the chang�s and shauld always be loofcing in the future to 6nd ways to become more efftcient in the delivery of services to meet our citizen's needs. village of Tequesta Writing Exercise by William Lawrence Question 3. Share with us your thoughts on the st�tcment"Leadership is persuasion,not domination," citing one personal example to support your opinion. I have spent several years studying great leadors in business,sports and government and found they had common characteristics. 1.They are passionate about what t6ey do. 2.They believe this is their purposc in life. 2.They anderstand they are responsible for people lives.3. They lead by example.4.They are knowledgeable in their field.5.They have built trusting relationships. 6.T6ey have masteced the art of persuasioa. They have this ability to get people to do things either they do not want to do and do not believe they arc capable of doing. They are positive and possibility thinkers. They know what it takes to succeed. I have yet found a successful business,sports team succeed by using micro managing, fear tactics and otber domination tactics, This type of motivation may work for the short term but will not be sustainable. These type of leaders are self-centered with their own agenda to full fill their egos and really cannot comprehend what it takes to be successful in your organizatioa. They do not follow any of the 6 steps I listed above that successful leaders understand. My personnet example is when I was a young police officer working for the City of Bangor Maine Police Department. 1 had worked for three different supervisor in three years that operated with a domination style. The supervisors would scream at you in the roll call room in front of your pears if you screwed up a call or made mistakes on your reports.They would threaten discip[ine up to termination. When you approached them for help they were never available. None of the officers wanted to wortc for these three supervisa. You felt sick every time you came to work and was worried about making mistakes. Several of us thought about abandoning our pablic caceers. There was another supervisor in detectives that everyone wanted to wflrk for. The main reason,he did not scream at the detectives and had their respect. When an opening came up,I applied for the position and was selected. I no longer had that sick feeling about coming to work anymore. Ont day there was this case that came to us that no one wanted to work. The supervisor called me into his office and my hands started sweating and that sick feeling was coming back. My supervisor said"Bill, I need your help. I need your to work on this case.I betieve in your abitities and wi11 give you all my full support." How could I say no? I left his office feeling great and ready for the challenge. As the result of this pep talk, the ense was solved. This supervisor had the ability to get you to do things you do not want to do and coutd push you beyond your self-imposed limitations. I never Forgot this lesson throughout my career. Examples using my leadership's style with the art of persuasion are increasing the police department clearance rate from 9qo to 479b,decreasing the crime rate by 15°J�. Reducing the Budget by 259b. Increasing the revenue by 10�90. Creating over 100 jobs. Promoting the community through social media. Establishing positive retationships within the community, county and state. To get infrasweture issues resolved such as the widening of our main road which was a$1,800,000 million dollar project. Getting our youth invalved in local government. To bc great at the art of persuasion you must be a great communicawr with active listening skills. You need to take the time get to know the people you are responsible for and understand their motivations to be able to persuade them beyond their limitations. Lawrence McNaul Village Manager Writing Exercise Please describe what the Tequesta community,Village Council and employees will see when they see you coming. The community will see a person who they can approach anytime, whether I'm walking out of the Perk Coffee House,Tequesta Country Club, Pinder's Market,School events, shelling at Coral Cove or volunteering for a local chamber event. They will feel comfortable asking a question or sharing thoughts and comments on local matters. They will see a welcoming and positive influence as the face of the city at any public event no matter if it is a progressive event or in a forum designed to facilitate solutions for an undesirable problem. They will fmd a family oriented person whose family are all conf'ident and encouraging no matter the background or environment. They will see a leader who is invested in the community and in earning their trust and conf'idence. The Village Council will see a trusted person who they can confide in to fmd answers to their personal inquiry's as well as address public demands and employee concerns in a calm, collected,professional and educated decision making manner.They will see a person who represents them 24 hours a day with a fun yet professional image. A person who can handle crisis and will make and be responsible for decisions made.They will see a leader who is invested in them and the community. They will see a team player. The employees will see a leader, who believes in having a team who are both hard working and also enjoyable. They will see a mentor who believes laughter is important and employees who aze happy in the workplace are the most productive. They will see a coach who will support their decisions when they are thought through and planned. Someone they can approach with all their needs treated with conf'identiality,respect and dignity. The employees will see someone who gives clarity, consistency and honesty and who will hold them accountable for the same. A leader who will not ask them to do something he would not do himself who has personal experience in their field. Employees will see a person who will earn their trust and hold true to his principles. Lawrence McNaul Village Manager Writing Exercise How involved have you been in adopting and implementing technological changes in your organization; and how will you use your knowledge and experience to ensure that Tequesta is maximizing technolog,y to enhance customer experience? City of West Liberty owns and operates their own Municipal Electric,Water, and Solid Waste Utilities. During my tenure with the City, I have led upgrades with each service which included technological changes to provide more efficient and economical services. The Electric Utility is cuirently going through their first upgrade in 15 years with a transformer and switch gear which were in place in the late 1980s. Through reseazch and in-depth conversations I facilitated a team to review the newest and best options. The effort resulted placing a self-contained switch geaz house and a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System(SCADA).This allows staff to start and monitor generation from remote locations where previously required physical presence of a minimum of four journeymen/lineman. The West Liberty Water Plant had started a two phase upgrade when I accepted the City Manager position to remove iron and magnesium from the water and upgrade the filtration system. While Phase I was taking place I began reviewing the follow on phases and future capital improvements. I learned through visiting with the municipal engineer the city had only reviewed one method of purification and softening which was Electro Dialysis Reversal(EDR). Having worked with alternative methods of processing and distribution, I recommended to the City Council to delay the process and review other options. Through a series of work sessions and working with the city's engineer to present a Reverse Osmosis water softening process which was chosen as the best choice. This resulted in the ability to deliver 750,000 gallons of cleaner,healthier water and significantly reducing sediment or scaling build up, further reducing the need for residents to maintain individual water softeners or personal conditioning agents. In addition we saved the ciry more than$600,000 in construction cost and$100,000 savings annually in Operation and Maintenance. We also implemented a SCADA system to allow the staff to monitor operations remotely. When I took over as City Manager in West Liberty they were in the process of contracting waste services due to a$750,000 dollar deficit in their Solid Waste fund and utilizing equipment that was unsafe and inefficient. After identifying the deficiency in revenue, I began working to upgrade not only the equipment but to renovate the entire program. Since 2013 the Solid Waste Utility is back to life operating now with a$400,000 cash reserve which was a result of technological advances. The trucks used for refuse pick up are automated requiring only one employee to operate versus three.The community recycling drop off effective August 1,2018 will be residential curbside diverting tons of waste from the landf'ill. This process was a result of a million dollar grant and results in use of automated sorting facility and which resulted in significant reduction in staff allowing us to reallocate personnel to other public works jobs. Being on top of technological advancements and opportunities is vital for planning,economic development and sustainability of a community. Lawrence McNaul Village Manager Writing Exercise Share with us your thoughts on the statement"Leadership is persuasion,not domination," citing one personal example to support your opinion. Leadership is persuasion, not domination. Leadership and respect are earned and no one likes to be under command, even the hazdest soldier on the ground would rather have a coach and mentor. As a coach every task can be completed through teaching and assessing. This is a reoccurring process, continually building employees while giving them an opportunity to know the expectations of leadership. This builds a stronger employee, creates trust and a better work environment.A manager who display great leadership qualities can inspire their teams to accomplish amazing things. If there comes a time a command role needs to be implemented in the event of a disaster or emergency,the foundation has been set for employees and allows for them to take orders without feeling disenfranchised. You will�nd employees will often rise to the occasion and become the leaders when operating under this type of structure. I've accepted both my executive leadership roles as Chief Deputy and as City Manager during times of internal strife and with less than amiable staff morale. As a transfonnational leader, I have overcome the resistance of employees who had concems and have built lifelong relations. Most significantly was assuming the position as City Manager, where the city had become status quo for more than a decade and the leadership came from behind a desk with a closed door. Shortly after accepting my role, it became clear that business practices had not been adhered to and that the City had been running on the connections and friendships of off'icials and decisions were, "because I said so"rather than open dialogue and based on facts and figures. During this time, I identified significant trends in declining cash revenue and began an internal investigation which lead to the termination of a long term employee. I then brought the City's insurance policy under question after having difficulty filing several claims. The insurance broker was also operating out of one of the most dilapidated buildings in town. I leamed he had been the city's broker for more than 20 years and for more than a decade, complaints about his office condition were ignored by city staff because they were related. Over the course of my first 18 months I terminated 3 tenured employees,revealed numerous deficits,put our insurance policy out to bid saving more than$75,000 dollars,had another appointed official on a work performance plan and began the dilapidated building process on the former insurance brokers building. This created a pool of applicants at the next city council election with two members promising they were going to find out what was going on at City Hall. This lead to a contentious period where everything was under the microscope. Over the course of the next 2 years through persuasion and mentoring techniques I was able to convince those members who ran on election promises to oust me that I was not the problem,but rather the person offering solutions. I have since received two positive evaluations and the council member who once asked for my ternunation, lead the last vote to retain and extend my contract agreement, she is also willing to be a reference. During this tumultuous time, it was my leadership style and calm that tumed the dynamics around. I believe in working with the employees,council and community; being firm yet receptive and gathering facts before determining any course of action. I've been successful throughout my cazeer in managing and leading by these principles. Francine L. Ramaglia Tequesta Writing Exercise July 13, 2018 Question 1: Please describe what the Tequesta community,Village Council and employees will see when they see you coming. They will see a strong and experienced yet compassionate, kind-hearted leader who is incredibly passionate about and absolutely committed to public service.She is a seasoned professional and a lifelong learner who has spent most of her life and all of her career in Palm Beach County and celebrates the wonderful and unique qualities of its communities—particulazly the very special places such as the Village of Tequesta. She has been privileged to work in two other very special places, Wellington and Delray Beach, which has given her the opportunity to work on just about every issue and aspect of local govemment from the beach to the `burbs, from the environment to economic development, from fmance to future generations,from culture and communications to customer service and so on. They will see her leading by example with high morals and ethical standards; a true team player and situational manager willing to take any seat at the table to accomplish Village goals whether it means rolling up her sleeves to help or supportively standing back to let others drive towazds successful solutions and alternatives. She has been described as both intuitive and a quick study—traits that serve her well in perhaps her greatest skills: collaborating and building consensus. She is well spoken and diplomatic and does her homework on issues. Highly self-aware, she understands her impact on others so she will almost always look to get input from a variety of people,within the organization and the community,to evaluate the best way to move forward before expressing her opinion (where, of course, time allows and this approach is possible). That said, she has no difficulty in decision making or recommending difficult, yet necessary options. In any case,she is naturally a calming influence;even in times of high pressure and/or stressful situations, she takes a quiet and calm approach to getting work done. She also likes to have fun and encourages a collegial work environment. She invests in her staff, cultivates their talents and sets stretch goals for their professional development. Succession planning is key to sustainability. She is approachable, transparent and believes in listening, learning and building relationships. She is wholly authentic and a truly blessed person who genuinely cazes about people, individually, organizationally and as a community. She is recognized for her thoughtfulness, enthusiasm, accountability and results orientation. Not surprisingly, she is a champion of work-Iife balance and continuous improvement. She supports employee health and well-being initiatives along with approaches that provide for greater efficiency and effectiveness. She would describe herself as a specialized generalist, very knowledgeable about and experienced in all facets of local govemment and holds three significant professional certifications: certified public accountant,certified planner and certified city manager. She has invested much in the profession, serves on numerous National, State and local boards and committees, is recognized for her expertise and is a frequent speaker, instructor and guest lecturer. She has been on the leading edge of technology as well as business processes, performance management, strategic planning and budgeting and reporting. She is a recognized expert in budget best practices by the Florida League of Cities as well as the Government Finance Officers Association and the Intemational City and County Manager's Association. She is a visionary and a problem solver and has the ability to bring about strategic change with a core belief in building resiliency and meeting the current and future needs of community with creativity and innovation within the Village's vision and constraints. She has a keen internal and extemal awazeness and is therefore extremely flexibile and adaptable.They will see an inclusive leader who involves people and Francine L. Ramaglia Tequesta Writing Exercise July 13, 2018 believes in leveraging the strengths of team members to build vision and goals while maintaining a focus on values and ethical work. One of her key strengths is seeing government from a systems perspective while understanding that people work in and are served by those systems. With finely tuned technical skills, financial acumen and understanding of all aspects of local government, she expects and delivers results and desired outcomes never forgetting that civility is paramount; even in uncomfortable circumstances, she treats everyone with courtesy, sensitivity and respect. She is a true believer: in community,in people and in local government. She thrives on civic engagement and public involvement and is steadfast that our core mission is to come together in service by answering five simple questions in everything we do: • Does it foster a family environment and strengthen the chazacter of our community? • Does it promote safe and livable neighborhoods? • Does it support our business partners? • Does it enhance the value of our community? • And most importantly,Is it the right thing to do? The partnership between council, staff and customers (residents and businesses and visitors) requires a delicate and deliberate touch to maintain its balance and to create a solid platform for the future. The dichotomies of preserving the charm of the Village with its unique texture and atmosphere and keeping up with technology,fiscal and economic challenges,societal and environmental trends as well as the other continuous changes all around us requires her special talents and experience. She will tirelessly work to serve the organization and the community. As part of her personal career development, she undergoes a comprehensive "360" evaluation by employees, employers, community members, staff, peers and other professionals at least every 5 years. The independent evaluation was done by a third party provider, Corexel, last year and included results of nearly 20 people surveyed. It is attached as it is clearly a good measure of what the Tequesta community, Village Council and employees will see. Francine L. Ramaglia Tequesta Writing Exercise July 13, 2018 Question 2: How involved have you been in adopting and implementing technological changes in your organization; and how will you use your knowledge and experience to ensure that Tequesta is maximizing technology to enhance customer experience? From the earliest moments of my cazeer, I have been tasked with implementing and maximizing technology. At KPMG, I earned several special designations and was responsible for leading our internal technology programs as well as for data-mining, evaluating client systems and re-directing "runaway system"implementations at both large and small organizations. In Wellington, I led 3 ERP selections and implementations,one of which outsourced our full IT function;when we reached the limits of the contract, we brought it back in-house and even provided contract services for other local governments. I was recognized for implementing leading practices in open government(we were the first government of our size to be invited to data.gov), transparency, GIS, community engagement and customer service. For instance, we implemented e-services—including but not limited to automated inspection scheduling and tracking as well as electronic plan review—ahead of the curve. We also harnessed the power of social media and online public input—for instance,realtime emergency flood mapping and the budget challenge. Because our efforts were widely recognized, I was invited to speak at numerous conferences (ICMA, FCCMA, GFOA, FGFOA, Alliance for Innovation and so on) and led technology showcases for the American Planners Association presenting our approach to open government using GIS and social media including, among other things,the wide range of datasets we maintained(as many as 300 functioning/edit layers) and how we accessed many others as well as a number of apps we created> in some cases, on demand. For instance, ■ We used GIS to solve a variety of issues as well as to address immediate needs. Not only did we use GIS for storm damage assessment we also created several interactive "map apps"for notifying residents of flooding,road closures and other urgent storm updates. ■ Another simple app--Public Info Center--gives an update on capital activity occurring in the community,those that aze planned as well as emergencies such as line repairs and service requests. It also provides information on events and let's the user see other current social media activity in town. ■ We also used geocoded survey data in making decisions that impact areas differently. Such is the case with the public discussion on whether to allow and where to allow RVs in our community. GIS along with other social media added a wholly different dimension to the discussion enabling a far more informed vote ■ We mapped all kinds of data (including crowdsourced info) and developed citywide and neighborhood performance measures geocoded and visually understandable In summary, we sought to use GIS as the pivot point between the organization and the community, between data and decisions, between requests and service, between people and paper, between social media and deliberate communication. We used it for planning and projects and programs in multiple and vastly differing areas from neighborhood services to economic development to project applications to community design, to building community and engagement. Francine L. Ramaglia Tequesta Writing Exercise July 13, 2018 We also automated the customer service functions, creating a one stop shop with a queuing system, centralized phone bank, self service kiosks,protocols for callbacks and follow through for the customers. The process included customer surveys and satisfaction indices as well as a comprehensive dashboard identifying performance metrics and alerts. We were able to show tremendous results immediately upon implementation. In Delray, I led a complete overhaul of the TT function,from cybersecurity issues to telephone system and cell tower replacement to broadband, fiber and wifi infrastructure to a brand new website and bolt-on solutions and systems training to ERP assessment,selection and implementation. Recendy,I have worked with local governments to implement best practices to improve customer service and efficiency by automating processes from end to end by: � Conducting gap analysis of current systems/applications compared with organizational needs • Identifying strategies and best practices while taking advantage of existing and available technology solutions • Expanding utilization of vendor portals and/or interfaces, ie, banking system features, to avoid duplication of effort,reduce cycle time,enhance reporting and improve customer service • Enhancing websites as an easy to navigate and customer friendly source of information and means of 24/7 service, streamlining workflows to provide seamless customer focused service, shifting towards paperless environments and integrating multiple databases and systems. • Developing, simpli�ed, risk-based, transparent tracking, reporting and monitoring--including dashboards and performance measures "Connecting the dots" is super-critical in leadership, decision-making and solutions. This is my strong suit. Moreover, selecting and implementing technology is highly dependent on "customer" needs — internally and externally. For example, intemal customers need technologies to speak to each other with ease, data collection with emphasis on what is truly important for goveming. External customers may want ease of online access,real time information and convenience of one stop shop. It's important to map processes end to end to view the system from a macro level as well as the micro. It is also important to communicate and educate as much as possible. I have tremendous access to resources as I have long been an active member of the ICMA Advisory Panel on Technology as well as its Sustainable Communities Committee. I am also part of their Smart Cities Initiative and recently published an article on how local governments need to prepare. I have been blessed with the opportunity to pretty much do it all when it comes to technology and I love that it will never be a "one and done" as the speed of change continues to grow. It is also an all- encompassing and inclusive process and cannot be done without a team and effective governance. In Tequesta, I would bring my strong background and experience to bear in working with the staff, the Council and the Community to assess technology needs. Through a collaborative effort with Viliage staff and other end users, I would develop priorities and options for the Village council on how to improve technology to the advantage of end-users. Any technology solution must maintain or improve customer service as well as their experience and ease of interaction with the Village. Francine L. Ramaglia Tequesta.Writing Exercise July 13, 2018 Question 3: Share with us your thoughts on the statement "Leadership is persuasion, not dominallon,"citing one personal example to support your opinion. One of the Mayors I worked very closely with over the years, Mayor Anne Gerwig, has told me that I wrote the book on leadership through persuasion rather than domination. Another career mentor of mine often laughed that I am an effective guardrail—I let people go where they need to go,but I won't let them fall off the cliff. And yet another manager I worked with for many years said it is a delight to work with me as I will dance with you into the right place. I took each of these as compliments because I believe that governance and leadership take many skills, and key among them aze open two way communication at every level, appreciation for many viewpoints and that conflict (where handled with civility) is something that can lead to better solutions. Public service and people are my passion. I also thrive on strategic planning aligned with funding and other policies,etc. to deliver results. That includes listening and finding ways to build the consensus that creates buy in which leads to accountability and results. This does not require domination; it requires facilitation, insight, diplomacy, facts and understanding of facts, ability to synthesize sometimes emotional and/or complicated situations into plain speak, and the patience to let people find their way to appropriate conclusions themselves based on facts. Throughout my career, I have been the point person internally and externally. In Wellington, I led the team to create the strategic planning, visioning and budget processes as well as the fust economic development initiative (Wellington 2060) as well as the original Green Team which produced the sustainability program. Each of these efforts required immense teamwork and open,healthy dialog with consideration of everyone's perspective(We did presentations and public education at almost every civic group and interviews with hundreds of people as well as conducted open forums and workshops). Through consensus,a culture of teamwork,desire to meet or exceed community expectations for service and strong community and organizational values,we put together all encompassing plans that were not only adopted but embraced and even today form the backbone of the Wellington's directions. Clearly leadership through engagement and education that build trust based on persuasion, and not domination. Civility with both passionate and compassionate adult dialog allows for diverse perspectives and healthy disagreement without violating the dignity of individuals. I have and will never embrace the"us vs.them" mindset and seek to dispell its effect in our workplace by creating an environment shaped by actions and follow though to build trust and to drive a strong culture. That said, there is a difference between leadership and management,and while both require distinctly different skills,communication,recognizing and appropriately utilizing skills and talents, understanding the benefits and limitations of available tools and leading by example are all part of persuasive leadership. From a management perspective, there aze times directives,rather than collaborative solutions or approaches, are necessary. That dces not equate to dominance if the need for the command decision is understood and appropriate. In Delray, I was the liaison to all community and civic groups and not-for-profits and other partnerships and served on numerous boards representing the City. It was during a time of great unrest and friction between the City,the community and these various boazds and agencies. Through authentic conversation, full disclosure and transparency and great diplomacy,we were able to effect often greatly resisted changes as well as move forwazd on a more positive path to new agreements. I was also responsible for numerous special events—City run or otherwise. These events are some of the lazgest in the state, even the nation, Francine L. Ramaglia Tequesta Writing Exercise July 13, 2018 and it is extremely important that they come off w/o a hitch. I not only managed the many moving parts and parties that must come together seamlessly, I served as the change agent leading the collaboration of a large and diverse group through a wholesale change in both the City's previously accommodating position and policies to a more restrictive "community ROI" based set of rules and regulations. It was only through trust,transparency and engagement that we were able to deliver something embraced(if not enjoyed) by almost everyone involved. I was told that it was my calming effect and positive influence that we were able to bring the contentious conversation to a productive close. Leadership techniques, rather than domination or strict management, in times of change are invaluable in all endeavors. RQBERT A . RATLIFF � ESQ . 1040 Mary Ann Lane � Bucy�us,OH 44820� T: (251) 753-9656 � rar@ratlifflegolgroup.com 1. Please describe what the Tequesta community,Village Council and employees will see when they see you coming. In a literal sense, I think everyone will see a big,jovial guy,smiling,engaging and generally softly humming some obscure song from the 1970's.While that may seem a fa�ade, it is an actual representation of the person arriving in Tequesta. The community,Village Council and the employees will see the exact same person. It is simply too tiring to try to be different things to different people. My enthusiasm for community involvement, problem solving and creating welcoming environments where everyone can succeed will be apparent. My many years in private practice as an atto�ney taught me one very important skill... listen. Listening means not only listening but also responding, be it by returning phone calls,answering questions or sometimes just acknowledging the person's concerns. I know not every problem has a simple solution,or any solution at times. But, I believe by listening,acknowledging and providing an answer,even if that answer must sometimes be no,we can minimize the resentment and dissatisfaction that sometimes builds. Regardless of their role in the community, I believe everyone will see my availability and sincere commitment to my community. What no one will see is an ego,a need to be in front,a need to demand recognition. I enjoy helping,facilitating, solving problems and seeing projects come to fruition. I do not shy from attention. I am confident and capable. When needed, I can easily be up front and take the blame or the praise as the case may warrant. I know my value and what I can do. I have no need to demand that others recognize that as well. 2. How involved have you been in adopting and implementing technological changes in your organization;and how will you use your knowledge and experience to ensure that Tequesta is maximizing technology to enhance customer experience? I perhaps have a unique experience in this area. I currently work for two very different entities. The City of Bucyrus, upon my arrival,was essentially devoid of any technology. My legal assistant at that time had held the position for over 30 years. My ofFice still had an IBM Selectric typewriter. In the Village of Crestline,the prior Village Administrator was a "computer guy". The Village over the past few years had spent massive amounts,compared to their total budget,on networks,servers and databases. The result was that virtually no one could make anything work without him. In Bucyrus,we started slow. We bought some computers,we networked them and went to a central printer. We invested in some basic software,the Mic�osoft Office Suite,and slowly implemented things like form letters, databases and even a spreadsheet or two. I worked with the administration to begin to create a social media presence. The City upgraded its website,we implemented on demand features for things like council minutes and legislation. Recently we created a video element with our city YOUTUBE channel. The process took time,there are still o�ces within the city that operate on paper and pencil. But,we are implementing the changes and bringing both the staff and the community with us. By contrast,in Crestline the system was so complicated it was unusable by workers and citizens alike. The over reliance on technology created a system where very basic records did not exist. A simple copy of a letter to board members was not available,because although a letter was sent, it only existed in that single copy. Within the system it �,vas actually a collection of form letter templates, mail merge labels and spreadsheets. The actua!document, a letter to �c�l�ae-r�- d�--�� �Q-I�l��-E�; `LS�e board members,a public record,did not exist. The staff was unable to access many of the items they needed. The street and utility department could not access mapping or other needed software,the water treatment plant did not have telephone or internet connections. Simple documents like legislation and minutes were not available to citizens, but the ability to e-file municipal income tax was available. The technology was not serving the needs of the community, rather it served the needs of the administrator. Just this week in Crestline we installed some new technology. It was in the form of utility poles and coaxial cable so that our water plant will have phone and internet. We are building an asset management plan that will make maps, diagrams and actual work history's available to our crews in the field, at the job site and not just in the administrator's office. With our new website,and budget permitting,we hope to be able to offer basic minutes on demand type services for our city code,zoning rules,minutes and legislation. I love technology. I love the newest gadgets and the ease with which I can access the world right from my desk. But technology is a tool. If a knife is dull, if a drill has a dead battery,if a hammer is too heavy to lift,the tool does not serve its purpose or the needs of its wielder.What I find to be most important, is not necessa�ily the technology, but the access or communication the technology provides. Updating interfaces,changing the methods or means of communication can be counter-productive. Upgrades in technology need to be seamless to the intended user. Properly done,technology puts the village on a citizen's doorstep. One can literally ask their television what is going on in Tequesta today and receive an answer. Worker's should have at their fingertips"as-built"drawings of every sewer line in town and every repair made on every line. As Crestline has taught me,sitting behind a desk and buying tech and software upgrades does no one any favors if it cannot be readily used. Feedback and user studies only highlight the experiences of those using the technology. Work crews have a job to do and get it done even when technology or the lack thereof stands in their way. The solution is a very low tech one. Being in the community,speaking to citizens and determining what needs are not being met. Being in the field with workers,at police and fire scenes,following up after incidents and projects,finding out what worked and what did not. You must constantly monitor productivity and communication and evaluate the impacts of changes made. 3. Share with us your thoughts on the statement"Leadership is persuasion, not domination,"citing one personal example to support your opinion. I would disagree with the statement to the extent that leadership is solely persuasion with the absence of any domination. Pure domination is an abhorrence. It cannot and should never be the basis for exerting leadership in any situation. But to persuade,one must exert some level of dominance. I consider myself to be a very persuasive person. I have argued federal appeals at every federal appellate court in the United States. I understand persuasion, making a point in a civil manner and explaining and justifying my reasoning. But a courtroom is a controlled environment. There rules and procedures we all adhere too. Municipal government, and even business, does not have those same formal rules. The more informal process, in the municipal setting in this instance, requires certain dominance. Simply by being appointed as Village Administrator, I have adual authority for certain actions. Part of that authority is conducting weekly meetings and work planning sessions. I dominate those meetings in that I prepare the agenda. I set the tone of the meeting. I direct the discussion. But the difference between a tyrant and an effective leader is the level of that dominance. An effective leader will and should solicit input, encourage differing opinion,consider advice and promote the participation of all members. A weak leader will turn a ten-minute meeting into an hour long,wide ranging discussion that may never get to a resolution. A tyrannical leader will shut down input and dictate the conclusion. I will be a dominant leader, but never be a dictator. I want and need the advice of experts, co-workers, community and other leaders. �vl�e�'-� t�- I�ia_�I� {�- , ��. Persuasion is still key. Getting the participants to buy into the vision or goals makes all the difference. But, if you cannot lead the discussion,you will find persuasion a difficult goal to meet. From a personal standpoint, I believe this was very evident in the recent design and construction of the Schines Art Park in Bucyrus. This park was built with funds provided by the State of Ohio. The City needed money to demolish an abandoned theater,the only state money available was for the building of art parks. That we had to demolish the old theater to build the art park was merely a fortunate, albeit creative,coincidence. What form the park would take was sent to an ad hoc committee of citizens and politicians. This created wide ranging ideas. The one common concept though was a place to be able to show movies outside. To bring the design to a close a more dominant leader had to emerge. I am very proud of the fact that I was able to take that role alongside our Mayor and bring the Schines Art park into existence. This park has become a focal point of our community. But to get to where we are,we had to gain control of the discussion. We had to bring the groups together,create the agendas, direct the discussion. We had to at times, say no. But we also had to persuade the competing groups as to what our vision was and why it was the right vision. For some groups,that meant demonstrating that their idea could not happen within the constraints of budget and engineering. For others, it meant explaining the need for broader impact on the community. The one thing that was true however,was that persuasion alone,was not enough. Ideas were entrenched. Emotions were involved. Once leadership emerged,once some control was gained ofthe discussion,then consensus could emerge, and all factions could buy into an idea because they saw how the idea met their needs and goals. That is the key to persuasive leadership. WRITING EXERCISE DAVID A. STROHL VILLAGE MANAGER POSITION 1. Please describe what the Tequesta community, Village Councit, and employces will see when they see you coming. I believe that what the Tequesta community would see would be a local government manager who strives to provide a high level of service as determined appropriate by the governing body in an efficient, effective, fair, and equitable manner, who has the best interests of the entire community in mind at all times, and who seeks to facilitate the involvement of the citizenry in the public policy process through the use of communication devices whereby the public can stay abreast of Village government affairs and through the use of civic engagement processes whereby the public can provide their input to their elected representatives and Village Staff. I believe that what the Village Council would see would be a local government manager with more than 20 years of experience in managing, supervising, and/or performing many local govemment administrative, management, and operational functions, much of it hands-on, with a commitment to effective, efficient, high-quality service delivery, as well as a management philosophy emphasizing communication, consensus-building, openness, and teamwork. They would also see a dedicated and hardworking individual who continually strives for the highest level of achievement, ethics,and professional conduct who seeks to facilitate the development of the vision, mission, goals, and objectives of the governing body through the strategic planning process by which the governing body can put its vision for the community into a tangible plan of action and who seeks to facilitate the realization and achievement of the vision, mission, goals, and objectives of the governing body(the administraxion or management part of the job). I believe that what employees would see would be a local government manager with more than 20 years of experience in managing, supervising, and/or performing many local government administrative, management, and operational functions, much of it hands-on, who values the importance of the work that Staff does, who sees Staff as the subject matter experts in the work they do, and who seeks to facilitate the growth and development of Staff thmugh not micromanaging, but, instead, setting parameters and deadlines and checking in periodically. I believe that you need to give people a little room to grow, including occasionally making mistakes. At the same time, you need to keep the risks within acceptable limits, so that if a problem develops, you can deal with it before it gets out of hand. I also believe that it's important to make cleai to employees that you expect them to come to you with a problem before it gets out of control and that you're available to them as a coach if they need input or are dealing with something new or that they don't understand. 2. How involved have you been in adopting and implementing technological changes in your organization and how will you use your knowledge and experience to ensure that Tequesta is maximizing technology to enhance customer eaperience? With communications and information technology management being one of the many hats that I Page 1 of 3 J�av��d l�. �-r�l-�� have worn in my career, I have been involved in adopting and implementing technological changes in the organizations in which I have served, including ERP systems, server upgrades, mass notification systems,and websites. I use my membership in professional associations to try to keep up-to-date on the use of technology and other matters in local government management. However, I will be the first to admit that I can't be the expert in everything, so I would expect department heads to also be active in professional associations in order to stay abreast of developments in their respective fields and to be willing to bring forward initiatives for consideration in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness of operations and service delivery. I would also engage residents as to their satisfaction with municipal services and solicit input as to services or functionalities that they would like to see implemented. Finally, I also consider what I as a customer myself would want from my community. 3. Share with us your thoughts on the statement "Leadership is persuasion, not domination," citing one personal example to support your opinion. I believe that the statement "Leadership is persuasion, not domination" illustrates the fact that while a manager or supervisor can compel action or compliance by the nature of their position over an employee, in order to get an employee to follow you, a manager or supervisor must convince the employee that an action or compliance is the right thing to do. Compelling compliance only requires acknowledgement of the superior-subordinate relationship, while convincing an employee requires allowing the employee to understand the reasoning behind the action and that the action is an appropriate best course of action given the circumstances. This can be accomplished be involving the employee in the decision-making process where appropriate. As the person on the front lines of service delivery, I believe that employees are usually the subject matter experts in problems that exist and may have great ideas as to how to address them,or at Least should be involved in the decision-making process in matters that affect them so that they can understand the "why" of a decision. An example of this is currently going on in my cunent organization. Staff is currently using what I consider to be an outdated financial management software package with limited functionality. It was created for smaller communities/organizations at a time when such software was very expensive and options were limited. Since that time, software options have expanded and costs have come down (relatively speaking). I have expressed my belief that the software will probably need to be replaced at some point as financial management and utility billing operations and requirements expand and become more complicated, outgrowing the capacity of the software. Staff initially didn't feel the need for any changes to the software. Over time, as situations have arisen that highlight the problems with the software and its support, such as implementing radio-read water meters and converting to GAAP-compliant financial statements, I have pointed out the softwaze's limitations, which Staff has come to agree with. These limitations will only expand as we look at online bill presentment and payment and other features. The moral of the story is that I could have simply ordered that Staff begin looking for a new soflware package, which would have resulted in push back and latent hostility. Instead, I took advantage of opportunities to allow Staff to see the problems with the system and come to Page 2 of 3 ��a�� d �-- . S-F-r--�I� I their own conclusion that it needs to be replaced. When that time comes (which will be a big undertaking), Staff will be involved in the selection of the new system, not because I couldn't choose one myself,but because as the end users of any new system, Staff needs to be involved in the decision-making so as to come to the right decision for our organization's needs and to ensure their acceptance of the decision. Page 3 of 3