McMinnville Aldermen beginning the process of finding a permanent replacement for former City Administrator Nolan Ming.
Alderman Steve Harvey said the city will utilize the Municipal Technical Advisory Service to assist with the recruitment process. Harvey said the organization will send a representative to McMinnville to review applications and narrow down the field of candidates before the board begins formal interviews.
“Someone with some experience, someone who’s got the best thoughts for our city in mind and just someone we think will do a good job,” Harvey said. “It’s hard to say, you know, what we’re looking for, we just want someone that’ll be the best candidate, best administrator for our city.”
Alderman Deitra Dunlap said the city hopes to begin posting the job and accepting applications in mid-to-late August. Director of Parks and Recreation Justin Scott is currently serving as the interim city administrator while the search begins.
“I do think Justin Scott is very capable in of this interim role because he has run Parks and Rec for 20 years and Parks and Rec is like a small city,” Dunlap said. “So, I know he will do a great job, but I do know we want to fill that role right away.”
Harvey said the board will ask candidates about their vision for the future of McMinnville. Harvey said he was involved during his 12 year tenure on the board, he has only gone through the city administrator hiring process once.
“It takes a little time but it’s, you know, it’s not horrible,” Harvey said. “It’s just something we got to do, you know, as people elected to serve our city and do things like that, it’s just part of the job.”
Dunlap said the city administrator is a vital position because the individual oversees every department and is involved in every major decision made within the city. Dunlap said she is looking for a candidate with experience in city government who is a good listener and easy to work with.
“I personally, again personally, I would love for it to be someone like Justin that knows our town, knows its residents,” Dunlap said. “Someone that’s passionate about our city, which he definitely is.”
Harvey said while finding a local or in-house candidate would be a positive outcome, his primary focus is finding the best person for the job regardless of where they are from.
Harvey said he was surprised by the departure of Ming but holds no ill will toward the former administrator for taking a new position. Harvey said the vacancy left by Ming will be tough to replace because of the quality of work he performed for the city.
“Anytime you have someone that did good at what they did, it’s hard to fill their shoes, but you know, there’s somebody out there that can do the job,” Harvey said.
