The city council met on March 7th and March 8th to interview the five finalists for the vacant city manager position. We interviewed two candidates on Friday and the remaining three candidates during an all day Saturday session.
The interviews each lasted approximately two hours. Mark Nottley, our hired consultant, handled the interview introductions and opening round of questions. Then the council as a whole took over the interview process and each individual member was able to explore the areas they were interested in.
Terrific Group of Candidates
We were blessed with five finalists who all brought various skills and experience to the table. I am certain that each candidate would have been a solid choice to lead our city into the future. I thank them all for taking the time to apply and for participating in our hiring process.
One Candidate Stood Out
In the end, I thought the decision process was fairly easy. Early in the process, Mark Nottley had told us that in his experience one candidate generally stands out quite significantly from the rest of the interview pack.
Mark was right. One candidate did just that. He stood out among the rest and was the obvious choice to lead Rochester into the future. The council was unanimous in their vote and unanimous in their excitement for the chosen candidate.
Jaymes Vettraino - Our Choice
I am pleased to announce that Jaymes Vettraino of Kutztown, Pennsylvannia was chosen by the council to be the next city manager of Rochester.
Mr. Vettraino is a graduate of Michigan State University. He also holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from Lehigh University.
For the past five years, he has been the Manger / Treasuer for the Borough of Kutztown in eastern Pennsylvannia. Prior to this he was the city manager in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvannia.
Mr. Vettraino will bring a very customer oriented and forward thinking approach to our city, He understands the role of techology in city government and how to apply it to better serve the citizens.
Information technology and information dissemination is also something Mr. Vettraino understands and applies in the public sector. He explained to us his theory of Google/Starbucks/Walmart and how it applies to municipal management. In a nutshell, Mr. Vettraino believes that citizens want instant information (Google), specialized and individual service (Starbucks) and a terrific value (Walmart). The idea is simple, but the manner in which he described it was brilliant.
The Borough of Kutztown is located in eastern Pennsylvannia - about one hour from Philadelphia. The town has a population of five thousand, but this number is a bit deceptive because Kutztown State University is located within the city and has a student population of over ten thousand.
In addition, Kutztown provides both electric service utility and cable television / internet services to their residents, the university and the surrounding township. Needless to say, this adds a significant degree of complexity to the responsibilities of the city manager in their community.
What’s Next
Mayor Stuart Bikson is currently handling the final details of the salary, benefits and contract details with Mr. Vettraino. I am confident that within a matter of days Mr. Vettraino will “officially” be our new city manager.
The future looks bright. Very bright indeed.
After testing some semi-regular “office hours” in the month of June, I have decided to change those hours to a time that might be more effective. My new office hours will coincide with regularly scheduled council meetings, which are normally held at 7:30pm on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. S
As most of you know, a city council person in Rochester is a part time position. Most members of the council have full time jobs, but still manage to put in the many hours necessary to be an informed city council person. These hours include, but are not limited to:
There was a brief lull in campaigning after the primary election, but as Labor Day draws near it is time to begin again the campaign toward the November election.