Trust, transparency and the Commons dominate Yountville Town Manager listening sessions
Ralph Andersen & Associates, the firm hired by the Town of Yountville to recruit the next town manager, held two informal listening sessions at the Yountville Community Center on Monday, July 13, for residents and businesses to learn about, discuss and share their perspectives on the recruitment and hiring process for a new town manager.
Attendees received copies of a recruitment brochure produced by the firm. The brochure outlines the job opportunity, the mission and vision of Yountville, the position, the ideal candidate, qualifications, compensation and benefits, and emphasizes the confidential recruitment that closes on July 24.
Ian Appleyard, a senior consultant with Ralph Andersen & Associates, led the sessions, with Dane Jackson, the firm’s operations assistant, taking notes that will be shared with Yountville’s Town Council.
The business session
At the first session for business owners, attendees included local business and Yountville Chamber of Commerce representatives including Carrie Hays, Jill Turner, Ashley Tenscher, Arik Housley, Natalie Leighton, Andrea Scarpa May, Frederik Ducas, David O’Malley and Rich Frank.
Because of the small turnout, possibly due to timing conflicts in the middle of the business day, attendees were reminded that feedback could also be submitted via an online Community Engagement Survey, or by sending an email to Ralph Andersen & Associates.
Appleyard said they have already engaged with a number of larger employers in town.
He explained that the goal of the meetings is to get feedback. The firm will prepare notes for the Yountville Town Council, and no one else will be privy to these.
“We are just trying to gather information at this point,” he said. “There’s a lot of information. We just want to distill it down so it’s digestible for them.”
“[I] can’t speak for everyone, but the level of trust in this community for some is low,” Carrie Hays said. “I guess I don’t have a lot of confidence without your reassurance that our input won’t be filtered, and that’s my concern.”
Appleyard (pictured left) responded, “My job is to provide as much information as I can to the city council again in a way that’s digestible. I don’t have an interest in filtering it or changing it anyway.”
“I don’t understand why [the notes] couldn’t be shared with the public as well,” Hayes replied. I’m not saying verbatim.”
Appleyard said that community engagement is not something typically done in every recruitment, but that their firm is reaching out by direction of the Yountville Town Council. He outlined the main questions for the discussion, which are mirrored in the online survey:
- What key attributes would you like the next town manager to have?
- What are the top issues the next town manager will face?
- What question would you like the Town Council to ask candidates during the interview process?
Based on input this far, Appleyard said that it was evident that the main issue that the next town manager will face is the Yountville Commons.
Lack of retail and empty retail space, services for locals, high cost of living, declining full-time residents are other hot issues.
“I think we have a giant parking problem,” Rich Frank said.
Arik Housley said that a new manager should be collaborative. “Somebody that’s going to bring our community together rather than divide it, listen and work together, we don’t have to all agree, but we have to be respectful in the process,” he said. “We have a lot of intelligent people in our community.
“What’s best for Yountville 30 years from now, not right now?” Housley asked.
Hayes said that a new town manager should be able to skillfully learn about and help the community move forward from serious dysfunction, “I would love to hear from a candidate how they helped a community overcome divisiveness and move forward.”
“The key thing is collaboration, willing to bring everybody to the table for good or bad discussions. Someone who is a uniter, brings businesses, residents, the town staff together to move forward,” said Yountville Chamber President and CEO Natalie Leighton.
Jill Turner commented that the town manager has to have a foot in each camp: the residents, the businesses as well as the council.
Ashley Tenscher offered an attribute that the town may not want. “A direction to avoid is that we are trying to build consensus, because that’s impossible. Build a plan that everyone can live with. Collaboration is important, but don’t go for consensus.” The town needs a leader that takes action “that we can all live with, or that a process in in place to address that,” she said. “I think that’s what has been missing.”
“Yountville to me is the center of the entire valley, and we have unbelievable facilities for almost anything we want to do, great hotels, great restaurants. If we don’t do anything, it will atrophy as we move on,” Rich Frank warned.
The resident session
Some 45 people attended the second session, a resident-focused meeting where Appleyard presented the same three questions highlighted in the earlier business session.
Although this meeting also was intended primarily as a listening session for the recruitment firm, many attendees instead had questions about the hiring process.
Asked what criteria the firm looks for in a town manager candidate, Appleyard acknowledged that recruiting qualified applicants has become more challenging as fewer people are interested in the position. In general, he said, the most important qualities include strong ethics, transparency, the ability to navigate conflict and a commitment to supporting staff.
Addressing Yountville’s unique needs as a small town, Appleyard said the firm will be looking for a candidate who can provide financial stability, help guide policy and address the community’s most significant challenges.
Several residents suggested delaying the recruitment process until after the November election, when the newly elected mayor and town council will be seated, so candidates would know whom they would be working with. Appleyard said he understood the concern but noted that elected officials often change during a town manager’s tenure. Because of that, he said the firm focuses on finding candidates who can provide stability and work effectively through changes in elected leadership.
Appleyard explained that Ralph Andersen & Associates’ role is to lead the recruitment process, identify the skills and qualities most important to the community based on the survey and advise the Town Council throughout the selection process. Their goal, he said, is not simply to fill the position but to help the town find the right candidate.
After several residents expressed concern about hiring someone who has frequently moved from one town manager position to another, Appleyard responded that a history of frequent job changes is considered carefully. The firm looks for candidates who demonstrate stability, including those seeking to advance into a town manager role, and that they thoroughly verify all information provided in applications.
While opinions varied, several desired qualities were mentioned repeatedly:
- Someone who genuinely cares about the community
- Experience managing development projects
- A focus on following sound processes rather than simply achieving outcomes
- Strong advisory and collaborative skills rather than a top-down leadership style
- A commitment to serving the community rather than personal advancement
- Humility and the absence of ego
- A data-driven approach to decision-making rather than an emotional one
- Experience in both public service and the private sector
- A proven record of balancing budgets
When asked if the new town manager should reside within Yountville, a raise of hands showed that the group was equally split between yes, no, and “it didn’t matter.”
Appleyard concluded the session by saying he was touched by how deeply residents care about Yountville. He said it was clear that both residents and business owners want a town manager who will care about the community as much as they do.
These were the only listening sessions scheduled. Appleyard said he believed it will be a closed session when the findings are presented to the council. Additional comments may be sent via email to [email protected].
