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The search for Wagga’s next top bureaucrat has begun, but questions remain about whether they will last the length of their contract.
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In the past 10 years, two general managers have been sacked and one was forced to resign, while the other left before the end of her contract.
However, council will repeat the same recruitment process to find the next general manager, with a national advertising campaign and an interview panel to shortlist candidates.
Terry Ahern, a former council employee who worked in parks and gardens for 24 years, said there had to be a better way to choose a new manager.
“Every time they’ve picked somebody it’s been a failure,” Mr Ahern said.
“You’ve got to give them points for consistency, but it’s costing the city a fortune.
“What expertise have (the councillors) got, they need to bring the experts in.”
At Monday night’s council meeting, mayor Greg Conkey, deputy mayor Dallas Tout, former mayor Kerry Pascoe and councillor Vanessa Keenan were appointed to the interview panel.
While the total pay package of previous general managers and directors had been shrouded in secrecy, Cr Conkey said he wanted to be “upfront and transparent” with ratepayers and revealed the total pay package would be about $350,000.
“It’s a substantial amount of money but we are a unique city and to attract the right calibre of person we need to pay a reasonable sum,” Cr Conkey said.
“People need to be aware that’s what we’re paying and we’re not trying to hide anything… if they think it’s too low they won’t apply but it’s comparable to what general managers of other Evocities get.”
However, Cr Conkey admitted they had no way to force a potential general manager to serve out their contract.
“A number of factors come into play, they may be given a better offer to go somewhere else, we have no control over that,” he said.
“I understand the concerns of the community and we certainly hope our new general manager will remain for the minimum of their contract.”
Mr Ahern said the instability in the top job for the past 10 years meant the city was like a ship without a rudder.
“It feels like the pay comes first and the city comes second sometimes, but if you get the right person then $350,000 is a bargain,” Mr Ahern said.