Gables wants to look at private sector for new manager

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Among the three companies Coral Gables Commissioners considered Monday to find a new replacement for former City Manager Pat Salerno — a controversial figure who resigned abruptly two weeks ago rather than answer for the lies he had been telling the commission — was the company that put Salerno there in the first place.

Colin Baenziger & Associates was the first to present their case, bragging of a 70% success rate with placements. The other two firms — The Mercer Group and Slavin Management Consultants — made their presentations by phone, but the writing is on the wall. Ladra suspects Baenziger will get the job again — despite having fallen on their, um, presentation last time around.

Said Mayor Jim Cason: “Showing up is half the battle.”

But one thing became clear right away: Commissioners don’t want to look only at candidates with city manager experience. They want to look at other government managers and in the private sector, even if the recruiting fee is more and even if it takes a little longer.

Both Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy Morales — who was a county commissioner and a city attorney before he was tapped for that job — and Jackson Hospital CEO Carlos Migoya, a banker who was tapped to be city manager in Miami, as examples of out-of-the-box candidates.

“Typically we don’t look in the private sector and I personally think the reason is if you are looking for an MBA coach, typically you don’t hire someone whose been in the NFL,” said Colin Baenziger, who recently placed former Miami Beach manager Jorge Gonzalez in Bal Harbour. Locally in the 305, the firm also placed Pinecrest Village Manager Yocelyn Gomez, Key Biscayne Village Manager John Gilbert and Homestead City Manager George Gretsas in 2010.

“But if you would like us to present private sector candidates, we’ll be happy to do so.”

Commissioner Frank “The Cuban Kerdyk” Quesada asked him who he recommended the last time — when Salerno was ultimately chosen — but Baenziger would not say publicly. His firm recommended four candidates and he told the commissioners he would be happy to tell them one by one who he would have picked for the job.

Commissioner Vince Lago said that he wanted to know how the firm would recruit “that CEO of the major Fortune 500 company who wants to take that step.”

Baenziger said he would go to organizations like the Beacon Council.

Cason urged commissioners to give the recruiter they eventually choose a little more time, until September, to make recommendations so they could consider private sector candidates. He said the city has the continuity it needs now that they appointed Carmen Olazabal as interim city manager — but Ladra can’t help but wonder if he’s enabling Salerno to keep his puppet strings working through the next budget and why he might want to do that.

Baenziger also said he didn’t typically recommend citizen involvement, like the advisory panel that the commission wants to appoint to look at the eventual shortlist.

“We don’t like citizens committees simply because they may decide that Patricia is the top candidate and you may decide that Vince is the best candidate,”  he explained, though they used an advisory board in Pinecrest.

Cason called it “another set of five eyes on the data.”

In the audience: two-time commission candidate loser Gonzalo Sanabria, who Ladra suspected may be the mayor’s nominee to the board. But when I asked Jorge de Cardenas, the mayor’s political consultant, about it earlier Monday, el gordo told me Sanabria was “too controversial” and mentioned someone named Manny Cadre.

So why is Gonzo sitting in the audience, nodding his head.

Sanabria actually made a lot of sense when he spoke about the process, saying a request for proposal “a waste of time,” and asking the mayor and commissioners to expedite the selection.

“It makes me very nervous not to have a sitting city manager when the budget that the new city manager has to live by is passed. His hands are tied,” Sanabria said, adding that perhaps a national search was not the way to go.

“A gentleman from Minnesota, it would be a very difficult fit,” he added. “It’s a very long learning curb for somebody coming from somewhere else.”

But he also did not want to see one of the usual suspects. “We see in some areas where we recycle managers. You see them going from one city to another like on a carousel,” Sanabria said, adding that the changing needs of the city might be better served by a private sector candidate.

“The city no longer needs what it needed five years ago. Five years ago the city needed someone to deal with mulitple financial crises. The game plan today is how to we revitalize our downtown commercial district…bring in more 500 companies,” Sanabria said. “A private sector individual who can deal with that and has proven that kind of ability might be good.”

Ladra can’t help but wonder if he has someone in mind.

The commission also voted on creating a five-member ad hoc committee to review recommendations and, perhaps, identify a candidate even.

Cason nominated Cadre, as de Cardenas said he would. Vice Mayor William “Bill” Kerdyk named former Commissioner Wayne “Chip” Withers, Commissioner Pat Keon named attorney Cristina Moreno, Commissioner Lago named Mas-Tec CEO Jose Mas and Commissioner Quesada named University of Miami VP of Government Affairs Rudy Fernandez, who is also chief of staff to UM President Donna Shalala.

Cason said it is his hope that the advisory board come up with a group of candidates, like a shortlist, “and say any of these has our blessing.”

The meeting was continued so that commissioners could continue to discuss the three companies at their regular meeting today.

  Frank Quesada, Pat Salerno, Vince Lago