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Position Greg Young, Town Manager of Boone, Has Held Since October 1991 To Be Advertised In Near Future

By Jesse Wood

March 21, 2014. The search for a new town manager of Boone will soon be underway.

Young
Young

Human Resources Director Peri Moretz said that the town is in the process of writing a profile and job description as it gets ready to advertise the position that Town Manager Greg Young has held since October 1991.

Young intended to retire Jan. 31, 2014, at which time he was eligible to receive full retirement pay through the N.C. Local Government Retired System, according to a contract extension that the Boone Town Council approved in December.

The agreement noted that the Boone Town Council requested Young to delay his retirement until the end of 2014 “in light of the many important matters facing the Town of Boone at this time, for which the town council desires the expertise of employee, and the town council further wishing to undertake a methodical and comprehensive search and hiring process to replace employee.”

Young’s salary during his last year on the job is $160,000, which is substantially higher than his previous salary of $124,987, which also included benefits. The agreement mentioned that this raise is an attempt to “make employee whole” by supplementing his salary during the extension in recognition of his ability – if he had retired – to draw retirement while pursuing part-time work.

Recently, the Boone Town Council approved a contract with Springsted Inc., a public-sector advisory firm that specializes in executive searches, for assistance in finding a new town manager.

During a special meeting of the Boone Town Council in February, John Anzivino of Springsted indicated that the selection and hiring process from to start to finish would take approximately four months, according to meeting minutes. Mayor Andy Ball said that he would like the final candidate to be chosen and presented to the council during the June 2014 budget workshops.

At that special meeting, the Boone Town Council came to a consensus on a laundry list of guidelines for selecting and hiring a new manager:

  • Springsted interviews mayor, all council members, certain town staff and key town advisory group leaders in order to create a profile for the town and manager position
  • Mayor and council each choose two individuals from the community to be part of a focus group
  • Focus group meeting is facilitated to gain insight into what they would like to see in the next town manager
  • Profiles are created for the Town of Boone and manager position for council’s review and approval
  • Recruitment process begins
  • Interviews will be held internal to the town, focus group not apart of this process
  • Mayor and council will be presented with 10 to 12 candidates for review
  • Mayor and council will narrow down list of candidates to four to six.
  • Final candidates will receive a tour of the Town of Boone with several functions held throughout the day leading them up to the actual interview. These functions may include providing a writing sample, giving a presentation, holding a mock press conference, dealing with a mock situation, etc.
  • Following these interviews, mayor and council will further whittle list of candidates
  • A less formal interview will take place socially with the mayor and council to observe candidate and learn more about them
  • The final candidate will be chosen