Hanford city leaders have one week to decide what method they would like to use for the recruitment of a successor to outgoing city manager Gary Misenhimer.

On Tuesday, the City Council spent an hour interviewing William Avery and Associates, a Los Gatos-based executive search consulting firm. It is the same company the council used in 2006 when it hired Alan Christensen, who resigned just nine months into the job amid a Department of Justice investigation into allegations of grand theft.

Paul Kimura, the company's principal, told the council that he feels responsible for the situation although he said "nothing would've indicated what happened" with the hiring of Christensen. Christensen, with whom the firm had previously dealt, had a stellar reputation as an assistant city manager in Bakersfield when he entered the candidate pool for the Hanford job in 2006, Kimura said.

Kimura told the council that if his firm was retained by Hanford in city manager recruitment this time, he would offer a discount as a token of commitment to doing the job right.

Kimura reduced the original quote of $25,000 to $22,400.

"From what we've seen in the past, the $25,000 is an average charge for these kinds of recruitment, so I think this is a pretty competitive number," Misenhimer said Wednesday.

But nothing is set in stone until the council takes a formal vote. The vote is anticipated at a special meeting next Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

With Misenhimer retiring May 1 next year, the council is on the fast track to determine how it wants to approach the recruitment for Misenhimer's replacement.

Councilman Dave Thomas said he was inclined to seek candidates in-house first.

"I'd like to see another person from this city take over the position," Thomas said.

The recruitment efforts are expected to take four to six months.

The goal, city officials say, is to hire a new city manager by April 15.

Kimura said the recruitment format is a three-step process, starting with defining the ideal specifications for candidates, followed by an outreach effort to advertise the position.

The evaluation includes resumes, interviews and on-site visits of candidates' workplaces.

The first round of interviews should occur by mid to late January to meet the April 15 deadline, Kimura said.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2429.

(Oct. 8, 2009)