The length of vacancy for the positions ranges from one year for director of finance, to a few weeks for director of libraries.
“Four vacant positions, yes, it’s certainly unique, but this, anymore, has become a constant process — people coming and people going,” City Manager Jim Starbird said.
Interim directors at each of the four departments have ensured a certain degree of normalcy as Starbird and the Human Resources Department search out and vet potential candidates, city officials said.
Their performances have also allowed the city to take its time in netting as large a pool of candidates as possible, said Matt Doyle, director of human resources for the city.
“In each of these cases, we’ve had very capable people serving as acting director, so it’s given us time to assess how we want to fill these positions,” he said.
The city’s rigorous interview process — which includes three panel interviews, a final selection by Starbird and a confirmation by the City Council — requires a healthy pool of candidates whose identities remain largely anonymous until the very end of the process to protect their current job standings, Doyle said.
“It’s a hard process,” he said. “Typically, we’ll lose a couple.”
Three candidates for general manager of Glendale Water & Power have made it past the professional, community and internal interview panels, Doyle said, leaving the final candidate selection up to Starbird.
Incoming directors of at least two of the departments face a bevy of challenges. Glendale Water & Power faces an uncertain financial future with the City Council reluctantly approving water rate increases to cover depleted cash reserves and a $222-million plan to fix the utility’s aging infrastructure.
