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Posted on Fri, Jun 3, 2011 : 11:45 a.m.

Deadline to apply for Ann Arbor city administrator position is June 20, according to job posting

By Ryan J. Stanton

The search for a new city administrator to head up Ann Arbor city government continues, and the deadline for candidates to apply is less than three weeks away.

The city has hired Pennsylvania-based consultant Affion Public to assist with the search process. According to the job posting on Affion's website, the deadline to apply is June 20.

The job posting includes a link to download a six-page brochure explaining the duties of the city administrator and the kind of person Ann Arbor is looking for to fill the position.

Tom_Crawford_Oct_2010_5.jpg

Tom Crawford is serving as Ann Arbor's interim administrator but won't be seeking the full-time position.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

The ideal candidate, according to the job description, will have extensive experience in public sector management, preferably as a city administrator, city manager, or county administrator in an urban setting with a wide diversity of cultural, political and service issues.

Carolyn Grawi, director of advocacy and education at the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living, said she's pleased to say her group — which advocates on behalf of the disabled community — has worked with the city and its consultant to revise the previous job description, which spelled out numerous "physical requirements."

Grawi's nonprofit group took issue with those requirements in April, saying they were unnecessary, discriminatory and a clear violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Grawi said the job description is now written in such a way that all candidates with or without a disability who meet the city's criteria are welcome to apply.

The brochure says the city will offer a "competitive salary commensurate with experience and a comprehensive benefits package," but does not include an exact figure or range.

The city's search committee previously recommended a salary range of $145,000 to $150,000.

Roger Fraser, who retired as city administrator in April to take a job with the state of Michigan, made a base salary of $145,354 before he left, but records show his total income from the city pushed $160,000 in recent years due to bonuses awarded by the City Council.

The city is accepting applications from both internal and external candidates. Internally, Public Services Area Administrator Sue McCormick is seen as the likely frontrunner for the job. McCormick could not be reached for comment for this story.

The city is expected to pay Affion somewhere short of $25,000 for its consultant services, inclusive of travel costs.

City officials expressed hopes in April that the city would begin conducting interviews in June, with a new administrator selected by July 1 and on the job by Aug. 1. Until a new administrator is in place, CFO Tom Crawford is serving as the interim administrator.

The Ann Arbor City Council is responsible for hiring the administrator.

Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's e-mail newsletters.

Comments

clownfish

Sat, Jun 4, 2011 : 11:21 a.m.

Perfect opportunity for so many A2.com web posters to walk the talk. We have oodles of experience and know how on these pages, can't wait to see who submits applications to be an "overpaid, under worked" public employee. They will even get a chance to screw unions! Now is your chance folks! We know ya'll can do better, you post about it daily here!

halflight

Fri, Jun 3, 2011 : 11:32 p.m.

Hmm. A job trying to run a city populated by people who all know how to do your job better than you, because they went to graduate school. Pass.

huh7891

Fri, Jun 3, 2011 : 9:07 p.m.

Give the job to one of the police/fire that are slated to be laid off

Ryan J. Stanton

Fri, Jun 3, 2011 : 6:18 p.m.

A quick update — I just talked to the mayor and he says the new goal is to have a city administrator selected by Aug. 1 and on the job by Sept. 1. Because Affion is handling the applications, not all applicants' names will be made public but the list of finalists will be made available to the public. The mayor says getting someone on the job by Sept. 1 is a priority but it's not an urgent one, as Crawford can continue serving on an interim basis as needed.