Hayes has served well as the city’s manager, and the evidence is all around Beaumont. The city’s finances are in good shape and city services are handled capably. The main problems that confront Beaumont — a flat population and questions about the future of the riverfront — are mostly outside of his control. His job is to make sure that trash is picked up and potholes are patched as effectively as possible within the budget approved by the City Council every fall.
His successor needs to continue this good record — and of course improve upon it if possible.
This is not a job for a promising beginner. A city like Beaumont with a $289 million annual budget and 1,200 employees needs a proven leader, someone who can step right in and take charge. In effect, this person will become the CEO of a vast business. He or she will need to be ready for this challenge — indeed, eagerly looking forward to it.
The council must be aware of how important this job is, and why it must be filled by the best possible candidate. To do that, the council must immediately embark on a national search. There may be some possible candidates in the region now, but this is a desirable job for anyone in the profession. Beaumont is a good-sized city with many assets and without the major problems that confront other cities. This is not a job where the manager will be constantly struggling to put out fires and deal with bad news. It will be challenging, of course, but in a good way.
The council also should reveal to taxpayers who the real finalists are for this job. It could even hold a public reception for the final group and let citizens meet them — and then give their feedback to the council members. The Lamar campuses used to do this when presidents were being hired until they figured out it was easier to blow off this basic outreach and just hire who they wanted — after going through the required 21-day waiting period and pretending that their candidate was the “sole finalist.”
The Beaumont council should be proactive and open about this search. This is a test for the new mayor and the new council members as well as the veterans. Taxpayers want to feel confident that the best possible person was hired for the highest staff job in the city — not someone with questions on his or her resume.
There is of course no guarantee that the person chosen in this process will work out. But by conducting the search the right way, the council will be giving the city the best chance of getting the kind of leader Beaumont needs and deserves.
Hayes has given the council plenty of notice. If the council gets moving, it might be able to hire someone who could work with Hayes for several weeks before taking over. Taxpayers will have high expectations for this process. They should not be disappointed by the men and women they have chosen to represent them.