Mayor Clark called the meeting to order at 12:20 PM

ROLL CALL: Mayor Clark, Mayor ProTem Lorenzo, Council Members Bononi, Crawford, Csordas, DeRoche and Kramer

1. City Manager Interviews

Mr. Bill Richards made an opening statement regarding his character, work experience and management philosophy.

Ms. Gronlund-Fox asked what Mr. Richards believed to be his greatest challenge he would have if he were to become the City Manager of Novi?

Mr. Richards said the most important issues he felt facing the next City Manager would be traffic, growth management, dispute resolution and to accomplish successfully the road funding issue.

Ms. Gronlund-Fox asked if she were to approach a group of people that knew him well and asked them to describe him in three words what three words would they use?

Mr. Richards said hard working, personable and integrity.

Ms. Gronlund-Fox asked Mr. Richards to elaborate a little.

Mr. Richards stated he valued the nature of work and the work ethic and believed it was difficult for someone to be a leader unless they had personal integrity.

Ms. Gronlund-Fox asked what his definition of a good work ethic would be?

Mr. Richards said someone prepared to put in the effort, time, research and be inclusive of opinions from knowledgeable persons, consider and evaluate alternatives and bring recommendations forward with vigor.

Member Csordas asked Mr. Richards what his most challenging responsibility was at his last position and why?

Mr. Richards said it was building a playscape in the City of Farmington. There wasn稚 a lot of General Fund money allocated for the project. He was the principle visionary of the project, helped design it, organize it, raised in excess of $130,000 in cash, obtained over $225,000 in contributions and brought the project in $15,000 under budget.

Member Csordas asked Mr. Richards to describe his leadership style and asked if he considered himself to be a driver personality, analytical, amicable or how would he describe himself?

Mr. Richards believed in the situational leadership model and felt it incorporated all of those things. He pushes when necessary and believed in efficacy and felt that people he had worked with would say he was an affable person.

Member Csordas asked Mr. Richards why he was applying for this position?

Mr. Richards said because it was an exciting and challenging professional opportunity. It undeniably presented for his family an opportunity to enhance their quality of life.

Member Csordas asked why he was considering leaving his current position?

Mr. Richards said for the same reasons.

Member Csordas asked Mr. Richards if he was familiar with the current issues facing the City of Novi and this Council and what did he think the challenges were?

Mr. Richards said the most immediate concerns were resolving the lawsuit favorably, road funding issue, traffic management and flow and growth management.

Member Csordas said Novi痴 build out is anticipated to be approximately in the year 2020; he asked what his philosophy would be as it continued its growth.

Mr. Richards said he had definite ideas about planning and Master Planning in particular. He said his first goal in terms of Master Planning would be regarding environmentally sensitive issues. His philosophy was to conserve, preserve and protect. Second critical issue in Master Planning related to growth management issues such as community facilities, residential, commercial, industrial and transportation. Third goal would be Federal and State mandates and issues.

Member Csordas asked what the first goal or objective would be if offered the position of City Manager?

Mr. Richards said to get to know the staff and budget issues.

Member Kramer asked Mr. Richards for a synopsis of his educational and professional background, specifically in areas that would apply to the position being sought?

Mr. Richards had a unique background in terms of its diversity. He started in the City of Wayne in 1988 as Personnel Director and later as City Clerk in addition to Personnel Director. He was promoted to Assistant City Manager. He subsequently went to work

for the City of Farmington and expanded his municipal background to purchasing, computer technology, telephone systems and community communications. He felt he had a broad and diverse background in municipal government.

Member Kramer asked if he wanted to highlight anything in his educational background?

Mr. Richard said his undergraduate degree was in Public Law and Government from Eastern Michigan University where he is an honors graduate. His minor was organizational communication and four pointed the Masters program.

Member Kramer asked Mr. Richards what his greatest accomplishment was and why?

Mr. Richards said building the playscape in Farmington and the establishment of Michigan痴 first interactive Municipal Web site.

Member Kramer asked what his approach would be for outreach to the community in involving individuals in City activities?

Mr. Richards stated he had a good relationship with Boards and Commissions in the City of Farmington and had always been very community minded and actively involved. He and his family participate in Holiday Meals on Wheels and Coats for the Cold. He is the past president and secretary of the board of Northville Baseball; he coaches two travel teams. He was instrumental in bringing a successful mileage campaign to Northville Township for Parks and Recreation land acquisition and park improvement.

Member Kramer asked what the role of innovation and initiative is in his administration?

Mr. Richards said he is very creative and his background amply demonstrates that he is an initiative taking person and is very efficacious and can deliver a desired result. He believed in meeting the people of a community.

Member Kramer asked about adopting the best practices of other communities in terms of administrative and citywide programs and policies?

Mr. Richards stated he was not only prepared to investigate best practices of other communities but prepared to be a leader in that field.

Member DeRoche asked what motivated him to apply for this position?

Mr. Richards said there were many things he would like to influence as an Assistant Manager that he did not have the opportunity to influence as much as he would like. He would like to have greater influence in the outcome of decisions.

Member DeRoche asked why Novi?

Mr. Richards said he was very selective in where he is willing to work and would not work where he did not feel welcome. He selects carefully the places where he is willing to labor lovingly.

Member DeRoche asked what he had participated in that his performance was not up to his expectations?

Mr. Richards said he would like to have been more successful in the time he spent in Northville Township as a Township Manager. He thought it was probably to early in his municipal management career to have reasonably expected that he could have been successful. He felt he did not have the necessary level of skills that he possesses today.

Member DeRoche asked him to be specific as to what he learned and why he felt ready to do it now?

Mr. Richards learned the concept of community to a much greater extent and has learned to fully integrate his skills and use them on behalf of Council or the community to their maximum extent. He creates the calendar for the City of Farmington. He writes it, including the Mayor痴 message and the City Manager痴 report, takes the photographs, and does the layout and formatting. He also does the City newsletters.

Member DeRoche asked what his philosophy was for cities using employees versus outsourcing to venders?

Mr. Richards felt some services were more efficiently and effectively performed by public employees. However, there are services better done on a contractual basis.

Member Bononi asked Mr. Richards to describe the similarities and differences of his customer service approach for the citizenry and for applicants or those doing business with the City of Novi.

Mr. Richards believed in a residents first perspective because he thought they had the deepest personal commitment to the community. He would argue that one of the principle functions of a City Manager was to try to obtain on behalf of the City Council pervasive community consensus. He believed that creativity and intelligence were widely distributed in the population and everything should be done to obtain adequate input. He is not anti business and, in fact, is a member of the Public Affairs Division of the Chamber of Commerce in Farmington and he has a broad business background.

He has an excellent ability to deal at all levels with people in the business community and has no bias against them.

Member Bononi asked if he had a balanced view toward customer service that would include timelines for performance with regard to response?

Mr. Richards said absolutely and that he believed in a management by objectives approach and thought it was important to develop objectives and give timelines and to hold people accountable as he believed in personal responsibility of service excellence.

Member Bononi asked if Mr. Richards had ever had the responsibility to review performance of Department Heads?

Mr. Richards said yes.

Member Bononi asked if he was in favor of evaluation programs that include such things as performance measures?

Mr. Richards said absolutely.

Member Bononi asked what he did after seeking to get resource needs for those persons who are Department Heads who do not meet their own goals or the goals he had decided on together?

Mr. Richards said there are two issues involved in performance appraisal and productivity. One is ability and he found that often people fail to perform as expected not because they do not want to but because some inability exists. Training issues are important, motivational issues are important and he would be willing to work with people. There is also the willingness issue and if people are unwilling then it is a different matter and he is a bit impatient with people who are unwilling to perform to the ability they do have.

Member Bononi asked what steps he would take to resolve conflicts to prevent their escalation to lawsuits and the considerable expense that results to taxpayers?

Mr. Richards said first he would have to have adequate information, consult with people who have specific knowledge and are prepared to make recommendations. Those recommendations have to be taken seriously and considered carefully. He thought that, often, settlement was a preferable option to litigation and continued dispute. He said in the 11 plus years he has been a public personnel administrator he had never lost one grievance, not one arbitration decision and had always managed to find ways to successfully negotiate them and settle them favorably and mutually to the parties concerned.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked what aspects of the City Manager痴 position did he think he would enjoy most?

Mr. Richards said it was the people and relationships that are developed.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked what aspects he would least enjoy?

Mr. Richards said managing contention was challenging and often unpleasant but part of the political and public administrative process and why he purposely chose his academic minor and master field.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if he had initiated or implemented any human resource or departmental policies that saved his city any money or provided greater efficiency?

Mr. Richards said he could not recall anything in the personnel field although he had several accomplishments he would share. He developed policies and procedures that enabled compliance with ADA and FMLA, etc. and is very well versed in public personnel administration. In terms of saving money he believed in increasing efficiencies quite strongly. He had done that through applications of technology, the G.I.S. system that he was part and parcel of the system that exists in Farmington. He

had been involved in computer purchases, design and installation of programs. He updated the Farmington network for Y2K compliance purposes, standardized software, updated the speed of transmission through application of D.S.L. technology.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if he had implemented any advancement or merit opportunities for employees?

Mr. Richards said he strongly believed in promotion from within. He had managed those processes in Wayne and Farmington and is very committed to it. He believed in training for employees and is prepared to do what he can to aid in their professional growth, development and promotability

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked when he empowered employees and found that decisions an employee made resulted in or contributed to financial loss for the city, embarrassing situations for the city or less than quality development for the city what would he do?

Mr. Richards said what was described was an intolerable situation. It would be irresponsible for a public manager to tolerate such behavior. He had negotiated separation agreements with employees and there are cases where a separation of employment becomes the best option for the community and the employee as well.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if the Mayor or City Council Member shared information with him that could be relevant to a future decision would he share the information with the rest of the Council or leave it up to the person to do so?

Mr. Richards said he is strongly committed to sharing equally all the information he has that pertains to Council matters.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if there was an allegation of sexual harassment within a department how would he approach the situation?

Mr. Richards said the law required an investigation and that the results of that investigation be communicated to the employee and if it is actionable it should be prosecuted. He would certainly comply with the law.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if in addition to any prosecution in terms of criminal matters if there was sufficient evidence would any disciplinary action be taken and to what degree?

Mr. Richards said absolutely, depending on the circumstances, how severe, what type and whether there was a previous history would all be factors in how to apply the concept of progressive discipline.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if he thought a City Department Head should have been aware of a potential situation?

Mr. Richards said absolutely that is part of their responsibility to monitor all operations in their department and they should clearly be aware of it.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if there would be any disciplinary action for the Department Head?

Mr. Richards said it depended on the specific nature of it.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if the City was the unsuccessful party in a lawsuit and the media called for his response how would he respond?

Mr. Richards said he would be forthright and candid with them.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked him if potentially contaminating materials were illegally dumped on City property by City employees how would he handle the situation?

Mr. Richards said the primary concern would be to minimize the impact of the problem. He would investigate it and find out how the problem took place and who was responsible. He said if it were accidental then some kind of training response would be appropriate. If it was culpability or irresponsibility on the part of the employees that would be a different matter and would require a much stronger response.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if disciplinary action would be taken, who would receive such and to what degree?

Mr. Richards said if there is a finding of irresponsibility on the part of the employee then disciplinary action would be appropriate in the context of progressive discipline. There are some decisions in terms of disciplinary action that you might like to take but are necessary sustainable in a union environment. It has to be appropriate and reasonable so that it can be sustained.

Member Crawford asked what his experience would be in budget preparation, dealing with the news media, human resources and computer experience?

Mr. Richards said in terms of budget preparations, one of the conditions or requirements to his promotion to Assistant City Manager in Farmington was to be more active in the budget. He has managed the budget for his own departments of purchasing and personnel and has had increasingly budget related roles in Farmington in managing the financing of the playscape and monitoring contracts on behalf of the city. He knew a lot about budgeting in Novi, based on the research he had done. He knew it was a very conservative approach and that Novi only allocated approximately 80% of the General Fund. He knew there was a new Finance Director, Kathy Smith-Roy.

He said he has extensive background in dealing with the media. He was a Public Information Officer for the City of Wayne for almost six years. He stands in for the City Manager of Farmington when he is unavailable and he has great confidence in his ability to handle those matters and has never restricted his ability to do so and encouraged him to address the media on his behalf whenever he was absent.

He stated Human Resources was his strongest suit and had been in it for 11 years as a public personnel administrator and had worked successfully in all areas of human resource development. He has a very thorough and extensive background.

Mr. Richards said he did computer installation in Wayne and integrated several municipal buildings with fiber optic cables. He said he was not a computer programmer but he did understand how they work, how to design systems to make them efficient and effective. He also informally functions as a sort of help desk in Farmington both from a computer operations perspective and when people have problems generally in departments with purchasing or human resources.

Member Crawford asked if he had had the opportunity to review Department Head requests and make recommendations as to the pros and cons when presented to Council?

Mr. Richards said he had not but he had reviewed the Novi budget and knew how the process worked. It was similar to Farmington痴 budget approach. He said Novi used a conservative budget approach and was very informed about the procedures in Novi.

Member Crawford asked Mr. Richards what his co-workers would say about him?

Mr. Richards encouraged Council to contact all the references he submitted and to contact beyond just them. He suggested they talk to the people he worked with in Wayne, Northville Township and Farmington. He asked they scrutinize him and check him out.

Mr. Crawford asked if there was anything that could interfere with his effectiveness as a City Manager?

Mr. Richards said not that he knew of.

Member Crawford asked if he had any questions of Council?

Mr. Richards said there were questions that had to do with the functionality of the position but it was probably premature to ask those questions now.

Mayor Clark asked what he thought were the major personal and professional qualities that he possessed and would bring to the job?

Mr. Richards said he has a strong record of successful performance in municipal government. He is not a maintenance type manager but is a very dynamic manager and person. He possessed a lot of creativity and high energy level. He said he comes to work early, stays late and it is not a chore for him because he loved this work. He said he is very much committed to this, chose it educationally and invested a lot of time securing an appropriate background to enable him to build a foundation to become a successful City Manager. He said he stood on the shoulders of giants, he has had wonderful role models and exceptionally good teachers and it is to their credit that he can adequately discharge the responsibilities of being a City Manager.

Mayor Clark asked what it would take to be a successful City Manager in his opinion?

Mr. Richards said you have to be a person of a high energy level. The challenges are enormous and complex. You have to be analytical and be willing to put in the requisite

time, willing to put up with a messy process. Government is not clean and simple. It is often cumbersome, difficult and contentious none of which are disadvantages. Small group decision making results in better quality decisions. It is worth the effort.

Mr. Richards said to conclude he thanked Council for inviting him to make his case for selection as Novi痴 City Manager. His reasons for wanting this job were two fold. One, it presents a truly exciting career and professional opportunity and two, it represents an undeniable potential enhancement for his family痴 quality of life.

Mr. Richards said there were only two jobs he was interested in. This one and the one he has already. Unlike other candidates, he has no other applications submitted elsewhere. Some of you have heard me say I知 the luckiest man in the world. My wife is literally my better half and both my children are truly wonderful young people. Outstanding students, very good athletes and well liked by all who know them. He said he was also blessed with work that is exceptionally fulfilling and that痴 not bad for the son of a coal miners daughter who was told that he was not college material. He said he had an enviable position. He said if he got this job he would be very happy and if he did not get this job he would be equally happy.

In summary, he believed he was a passionate visionary for stewardship in municipal government but did not expect Council to take his word for it. Lots of people can talk the talk but few really walk the walk. As a seasoned personnel professional he urged Council to scrutinize all the candidates and while they are considering this most important Council decision, closely examine the professional backgrounds and personal conduct of all the candidates. He said he did not believe a person could be an ethical leader without first being a person of genuine personal integrity.

He suggested Council consider past community involvement along with past job performance. As you know, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. He said he would withstand Council痴 closest scrutiny.

Lastly, in her book Times To Remember, Rose Kennedy wrote "The secret of the Kennedy success was not in money but meticulous planning and organization, tremendous effort and the enthusiasm and devotion to family and friends." He said he obviously did not have the Kennedy money but he did have all the other right stuff she wrote about and only hoped that Council agreed.

Member DeRoche asked what motivated him?

Mr. Ott said passion. He said he was very passionate about the business of public service and government. He was always on the edge of his seat doing the peoples business. Beyond that his family motivates him.

Member DeRoche asked for a general overview of what he was doing now and how it would relate to the position of City Manager in Novi?

Mr. Ott said up until now he was involved with the Council Management form of government and Rochester Hills is a strong Mayor form of government. In that context, he wears two titles which are City Administrator and Assistant to the Mayor. He is responsible for all operations of the City on a day to day basis. He said the new Mayor of Rochester Hills asked him to stay on as City Manager when he won the recent election.

Member DeRoche asked why he wanted to be the City Manager of Novi?

Mr. Ott said because he was committed to the Council Manager form of government. It is the principle reason and he is also interested in Novi because of the kind of community that it is. It is very progressive and growing and represents an opportunity to present a range of experience that he possessed that included having been involved in growth communities. It is an opportunity to apply the knowledge he had gained about growth communities and to help the City be mindful of the hard lessons that have been learned by the older urban core communities.

Member DeRoche asked if there had been any experiences that he had participated in in a Management or administrator capacity that he felt he did not live up to his own expectations?

Mr. Ott said one of the things the community of Rochester Hills had been interested in was a community center that was inclusive of indoor and outdoor aquatics. They had been unable to achieve that goal. The feasibility study said it was cost prohibitive. He attempted to wipe the slate clean and start over. They were able to put together a public/private partnership with Lifetime Fitness. The proposal entailed a $15 Million facility, 100,000 square feet and the City was being asked for 15 acres of land in an undeveloped park that had in excess of 150 acres. They spent a lot of time developing that proposal and ultimately presented it as a concept, not etched in stone, that the public/private partnership was a vehicle that could be used. However, the result was that there was a perception that it was etched in stone. He said the lesson to be learned is that you cannot start too soon to involve the citizens.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked what aspects of the City Manager position did he think he would enjoy most?

Mr. Ott said he liked all of it. The thing he would least enjoy would be the media. He deals with them effectively but finds them frustrating at times because they apply their own spin to whatever the issue is.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if the City was the unsuccessful party in a lawsuit and the media called for a response, how would you respond?

Mr. Ott said it depended on what they were asking and what kind of issue it was.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if he had initiated any human resources or policies that have either saved money or provided greater efficiency?

Mr. Ott said he had but would not limit his response to Human Resources. When in Kalamazoo he made a commitment to the Mayor, Council and community to reduce the cost of government services by $4 Million and to do it within 24 months without laying anyone off and without any reduction in programs or service level. He said they were successful.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked when he empowered employees and as a result of an employee decision there is financial loss, an embarrassing situation or less than quality development projects what would he do?

Mr. Ott said employees are going to make mistakes in judgement and other kinds of errors. He did not think employees could be invited to the table and given a lot of lip service to empowerment and then not be willing to support them when they buy into that philosophy and err and then feel the brunt of heavy negative authority coming down on them. He would try to figure out how the mistake was made to learn from it and set strategies in place so it did not occur again. If those kinds of performance issues continue, then it would require applying some other kind of strategy.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if there was an allegation of sexual harassment within a department, how would he approach that situation?

Mr. Ott said those kinds of claims have to be taken seriously and have to be dealt with very deliberately. The Human Resources Director and the Labor Counsel would need to be involved because you would have to be deliberate about how it would be handled in the context of what is required legally.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if there was sufficient evidence would any disciplinary action be taken and to what extent?

Mr. Ott said to what extent would depend on the circumstances but discipline would be on the menu of things that might be chosen in response to harassment; whatever kind of harassment it was. If the individual was not separated from the City there would be a need to provide training that would be responsive to the circumstances that led to the harassment.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if a Department Head should be aware of this type of situation occurring?

Mr. Ott said one would hope so if they are in tune with their employees and have a good relationship where employees feel comfortable coming to talk to that individual.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if the Department Head was unaware of a situation like that did he think there should be any disciplinary action against the Department Head?

Mr. Ott said it depended on the circumstances.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if the Mayor or Council Member shared information with him that could be relevant to a future decision, would he share it with the rest of the Council?

Mr. Ott said as a rule of the thumb he would make it clear that he worked for all of those who appointed him so he would be really uncomfortable with one elected official telling him things that would be of general interest to the City.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if potentially contaminating materials were illegally dumped on City property by City employees, how would he handle it?

Mr. Ott said because they were contaminates his first concern would be to discover the nature of the contaminates. He would be concerned about remedying any damage to the environment that the employees had caused. He would then want to deal with the employees and take appropriate action after carrying out a fact finding investigation.

Ms. Gronlund-Fox asked what he thought his most challenging undertaking would be if he were to become the next City Manager of Novi?

Mr. Ott thought the most challenging thing for any new City Manager in a community is really getting to know the community and the people that he would be interacting with on a daily basis. Part and parcel with that would be getting a handle on the issues as quickly as possible.

Ms. Gronlund-Fox asked if people who knew him professionally and personally were asked to describe him in three words what words would they use?

Mr. Ott said they would say he was honest, intelligent and committed.

Ms. Gronlund-Fox asked him to elaborate as to why they would chose those words?

Mr. Ott said regarding his intelligence, anyone who knew about him professionally and what he had been able to accomplish in the course of his career, that would be the basis upon which they would use that word. Honest because they have not known him to be otherwise and committed because you can not display the level of passion that he does for this and his personal life and not be committed.

Ms. Gronlund-Fox asked him to define a good work ethic?

Mr. Ott said a good work ethic is a commitment and dedication to working very hard, doing what it takes to make every effort to achieve an objective and applying and directing a lot of time just to that.

Member Kramer asked for a brief synopsis of his educational and professional background that would directly relate to this position.

Mr. Ott said his professional experience spans from older urban core communities to growth communities and that base of knowledge is clearly applicable. From an educational standpoint he certainly has the credentials in terms of a Masters Degree in public administration. He attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard not too long ago which was a really good experience. It was a way of refreshing oneself intellectually but also in terms of the passion that one needs to bring to bear on that which we do. He is an active member in the Michigan City Manager痴 Association, International City Manager痴 Association and the N. L. C.

Member Kramer asked him why he decided to move on from Kalamazoo?

Mr. Ott said he felt that he had done all that he could do there. He thought any good City Manager recognizes when it is time to go; when you are no longer providing a contribution it is time to go.

Member Kramer asked what his greatest accomplishment was and why?

Mr. Ott said within the first few months as City Manager of Kalamazoo a significant employer said they were going to pack up and leave. This would have eliminated 400 to 500 jobs in the community. He created an incentive package along with his staff and Mr. Ott said he researched and then called the C.E.O. of the parent company and talked with him. The end result of that conversation was that the company not only stayed in Kalamazoo but did plant expansion and equipment purchase to the tune of $30 Million and created an additional 500 jobs.

Member Kramer asked what his approach would be to achieve outreach in the community and involving individuals in participation in City government?

Mr. Ott said aggressive. He felt it important for the City Manager to be out in the community and to be approachable and personable.

Member Kramer asked how he would achieve appropriate innovation and initiatives to bring new thoughts and new practices into his administration?

Mr. Ott said it was important to articulate to the employees that you value and respect them and what they bring to the table and that they are invited to the table to participate in creative dialogue that would lead to solutions.

Member Crawford asked if they contacted some of his co-workers, at all levels, what would they say about you?

Mr. Ott hoped they would say that he brought his best to work everyday. He encouraged Council to contact his co-workers.

Member Crawford asked what his experience or philosophy was in budget preparation, media, human resource issues and computer experience.

Mr. Ott said he had been responsible for budgets in excess of $100 million in Kalamazoo. They received, for the first time, the G.F.O.A. awards with respect to the first budget he prepared as City Manager and received them every year after that.

He had lots of involvement with human resources. He had seven very strong unions in Kalamazoo.

Mr. Ott saw the City of Kalamazoo through a conversion process from the old main frame IBM to a land base distributive processing system network that is in place now and working very well. He had also dealt with getting ready for Y2K in Rochester Hills.

He is now putting the final touches on an RFP for a financial system.

Member Crawford asked if he had the opportunity to deliberate with the Department Heads in Rochester Hills over their requests regarding the budget process?

Mr. Ott said that is a natural part of the process.

Member Crawford asked if there was anything that could potentially interfere with his effectiveness as a City Manager?

Mr. Ott said not that he was aware of.

Member Crawford asked how he felt about City employee residency requirements?

Mr. Ott felt the City Manager should live in the City they are responsible for. He had mixed feelings about it and was still debating with himself about it.

Member Crawford asked Mr. Ott if he had any questions for Council?

Mr. Ott asked what Council痴 perspective was in regard to a new City Manager, what were they looking for and what did they expect?

Member Crawford, speaking for himself, said someone that is open, honest and all those good buzz words and knows the nuts and bolts of the job. Someone who can go into the community and represent the City and the Council in the way of implementing policy. The City Manager would have to be able to work with Staff and be capable of providing direction in all those areas.

Member Bononi asked what criteria he used to determine what the best interests of the citizens would be. She asked Mr. Ott to include such things as financial matters both current and long range planning, cultural considerations, environmental considerations and growth management and planning or any topic he would chose to use as criteria?

Mr. Ott said first by recognizing that that is not a unilateral decision or perspective. Determining what is in the best interest of the citizens is and ought to be a dynamic process that is inclusive. All of the interested parties would have to have an opportunity to participate in the public dialogue about whatever the issue is.

Member Bononi asked how his management philosophy had served him? One example Mr. Ott gave was having an organizational goal to reduce the cost of government services by $4 Million within 24 months. Ultimately the objective was achieved without employee layoffs and she would guess that led to some sort of outsourcing. How did you accomplish that in that short period of time?

Mr. Ott said it did not entail a significant amount of outsourcing. They were able to do it by analyzing how they were doing the work they were doing and in many cases redesigning it in ways that it could be done more effectively and efficiently. This also required fewer employees and I know that flies in the face of no layoffs. Those employees were not put on the street they were put in what he called the job bank. They were re-educated and helped to develop different skills so that they could then be placed in other positions within the organization. They also created an incentive that encouraged employees ideas and that was to give them a percentage of the savings. They also put a fund together to test ideas.

Member Bononi asked how he would contrast that volatility of having your position often times affected by an election versus the situation that is in Novi where we have had a City Manager with a singularly long tenure? How would you face that challenge with regard to that long tenure were you to become City Manager and how would you evaluate existing personnel?

Mr. Ott thought that kind of tenure was probably because he had done a very good job over the years. He thought that someone coming in had to be respectful of that tenure and respectful of all the employees as well. Coming into an environment like this it would be really important to listen and be sure you have a good understanding as to how things work here and why.

Member Csordas asked what his most challenging responsibility was at his current position and why.

Mr. Ott said existing in a strong Mayor form of government. He said the political environment was really different from what he had experienced and been accustomed to. There is a natural friction that exists between the Mayor and Council. Yet as the City Administrator your day to day task is to make sure that things get done and the Mayor has to be satisfied and at times also entails satisfying the Council. Then there is the staff as well. Working in that environment has been challenging and he felt he had been successful in it.

Member Csordas asked how he would describe his leadership style, i.e. a driver, analytical type person or amicable and please expand on that?

Mr. Ott said probably all of those apply to some extent. He said he took the Disc Personality Profile and he tended to be a high driver, off the chart. He said over the years he has learned to flex some and not let as much as that driver show.

Member Csordas said there are a few significant newsworthy issues facing this City and City Council and he asked what Mr. Ott thought the most important issue was and why?

Mr. Ott said he knew there was a significant judgement the City was facing that is so significant it could impact your fiscal situation. He thought it was fundamentally important and suggested something with respect to how Council deals with development issues. He felt it would be an area worth some scrutiny and analysis.

Member Csordas asked what he would consider to be his first goal or objective if he were offered the position?

Mr. Ott said it would be to spend time with the Mayor and Council and get a clear understanding of the collective vision they have for the community. He would also like to spend time with employees and Department Heads to get a sense of their perspective of the organization, the community and the issues.

Member Csordas asked what his philosophy was regarding developing communities versus mature communities?

Mr. Ott said there are fundamental differences and the challenges are different. Urban core communities have to spend a lot of time trying to resolve issues, problems and challenges that have been in place for a long time and are a result of a lot of issues structural and otherwise that had built up over many years. In growth communities the biggest challenge is managing the growth in an intelligent way and required a lot of dialogue of elected officials and residents. Time has to be spent engaged in strategic planning looking out to five, ten and fifteen years ahead and making clear determinations on how the community should grow.

Mayor Clark asked what he would feel was necessary to be a successful City Manager in general and in particular in the City of Novi?

Mr. Ott said in general he thought in order for a City Manager to be successful there really had to be a commitment to public service and the kind of work that is associated with doing the peoples business. There is a personal and professional commitment to the job, community and organization. With respect to Novi and in addition to what has already been said he thought he brought the fullest possible range of experience to bear here.

Mayor Clark asked what he would say were his personal and professional major qualities that he would bring to the position of City Manager?

Mr. Ott said honesty, commitment and a level of passion that he thought was a very important aspect of the job. He said in him they were dealing with a person who has never wanted to do anything else. He said it is a keen level of commitment to bringing

his best to bear on the issues that have to do with the peoples business that he would bring here.

Mr. Ott said a lot of cities when looking to hire a new administrator or Manager call upon Executive Recruitment or such firms to assist them in that process. He was curious as to why Council did not use such a firm.

Mayor Clark said it was consensus of Council that they wanted a more hands on direct involvement in the selection process and as much input as possible.

Mr. Ott asked if Council believed that approach had in any way an adverse impact on the pool of candidates?

Mayor Clark said, personally, he did not think so because there is a broad pool of candidates who have applied both in State and across the United States.

Mayor Clark said due to the length of the interviews the interviews of Kerreen Conley and Tony Nowicki would be rescheduled and a notice would be published. The next interview date would be December 30^th.

Mr. O誰eal said he had been a member of the City Management Association since he joined the profession 25 years ago.

Member Bononi asked how he compared the water quality management forward thinking of Livingston County with the water quality management thinking in Oakland County? Which do you prefer and if you were City Manager how would you incorporate the two?

Mr. O誰eal said the water quality management in Livingston County is entirely different than Oakland County in that Livingston County is more of a rural community. A lot of the community痴 subdivisions are served by master wells and have water treatment plants. Here in Oakland County most of the water is purchased from the City of Detroit.

Member Bononi asked him to refer to storm water management?

Mr. O誰eal said Oakland County has their water treated mostly through the City of Detroit as it goes through the different systems. Livingston County does not take an active role in storm water management.

Member Bononi said in regard to the accomplishment sections of the information you gave us you talked about developing a personnel manual and standard operating procedures for classifications and implementing annual performance review procedures. She asked what the performance procedures consisted of?

Mr. O誰eal said through the budget process the Council sets goals and objectives of what they want to accomplish. He has the Department Heads do the same thing on how they are going to carry out and implement those goals as promulgated by the

Council. He reviews them twice a year and sometimes more depending on the severity and the importance of the various goals that are set by the Council. They work together as a team to facilitate and carry to conclusion the goals decided on.

Member Bononi said if it has been communicated with the individual through performance reviews and you have committed to see that they have the resources and training to accomplish those goals and the goals are not hit, what is your alternative?

Mr. O誰eal said then you ask yourself if you have the correct staff member to carry out those goals. If not, the appropriate action has to be taken to increase staff, decrease staff or change the goal and give it to some one else to carry out.

Member Bononi asked how he accomplished, in concert with others, updating the Master Plan for Land Use, Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map. Was this in house or did you work with consultants?

Mr. O誰eal said they worked with a planning consultant, McKenna and Associates, the Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals and the City Council.

Member Bononi also saw from his administrative experience that he also served as a liaison to the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Commission. With regard to that Zoning Board of Appeals and zoning experience in general she wanted to ask him about his attitude regarding zoning compliance.

Mr. O誰eal said zoning compliance is very, very important and there is no use having a Master Plan and Zoning Ordinance if you are going to defray from it. These are tools to control growth and the way the community develops and should be adhered to.

Member Bononi said and referring to zoning compliance from the standpoint of adherence to the ordinances that are in place.

Mr. O誰eal said you needed to be very, very strict.

Member Bononi asked what his response would be to selective enforcement of the ordinances?

Mr. O誰eal said you are doomed to failure if there is selective enforcement.

Member Bononi said with regard to the policy and process by which development applications are brought forward in a municipality, what is your opinion of fast tracking with regard to how developers and applicants are treated?

Mr. O誰eal said in his experience almost every time something is fast tracked mistakes are made. He thought a judicious approach needed to be taken. He said 30 or 40 years decisions are being made in your community and he did not think it should be rushed into.

Member Csordas asked what his most challenging responsibility was in his current position and why?

Mr. O誰eal said he would like to take that as a whole as opposed to his current position because the most challenging thing is to make sure that the organization is running smoothly and that there is good camaraderie and good morale. We are the ambassadors for the community and if there is low morale that would be reflected in the community and reflective of the elected officials. The staff needs to be challenged to be the best they can be all the time and make sure that their morale is up through training, employee picnics, etc. but to give them ownership of the organization.

Member Csordas asked how he had handled that personally?

Mr. O誰eal said he tries to be a mentor with his Department Heads and staff. He has an open door policy and wants to know what makes them tick so he can work and use their strong points and bolster their weak points. The Manager has to lead by example and by mentoring these people they will mentor each other.

Member Csordas asked how he would describe his leadership style? Would he be an analytical leader, amicable or driver type personality and why would he say so?

Mr. O誰eal said he had a participatory form of management. He does not micro manage and asks his people if they have a problem to bring it to him with three alternative solutions. He felt it was important to use the expertise of his people and that it was the strongest resource.

Member Csordas said everyone at this table and everyone in the community believes this is the best City Manager opportunity in the State and asked why Mr. O誰eal was applying for the City Manager position in Novi?

Mr. O誰eal said because he believed it was one of the best in the State. It is a great community. He said having spent many, many years in Southfield when they were going through the same growth as Novi is it whets a manager痴 appetite to be able to experience that again and the level of urgency that is there. It is electric when you walk into the organization and can be felt.

Member Csordas said there are a few significant newsworthy issues facing this City and City Council, and he asked what he thought the most important issue was and why?

Mr. O誰eal did not want to down play any one of them not being important. He did not find those things in a newspaper important. What he found important was how the growth in this community was controlled.

Member Csordas asked what his first goal or objective would be if offered the position of City Manager?

Mr. O誰eal said he would have a retreat with the City Council to find out just exactly how you tick, what your needs are, what your goals and objectives are and how they are being met currently. He would want to have two or three retreats the first year to be sure everyone was on the same page. He would like to be sure the three new members are up to speed. There is not the seven of you and the one of me; we are a team of eight.

Member Csordas said Novi痴 build out is anticipated to be approximately in the year 2020; he asked what his philosophy would be as it continued its growth?

Mr. O誰eal said the Council, Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals are making 20 and 30 year decisions right now. In order to effectuate a build out that would be the best for Novi, every time you make that decision, you have to ask what is going to happen in 2020 when you池e going to start urban development renewal. You are setting the groundwork now for what is going to happen in 30 years. He said Council had to be sure that the decisions and plans that they set forth now will effectively allow the future Councils and generations to build upon your work.

Member DeRoche asked why he wanted this particular job as opposed to looking at another community that is more similar to Clawson, Howell or a smaller community?

Mr. O誰eal said his work and training is Oakland County. He was born in Detroit but spent most of his time in Southfield and is very familiar with Oakland County. He is familiar with the Oakland County Officials, he liked Oakland County and his family has their roots here.

Member DeRoche asked what his philosophy was on using employees versus using venders such as in house engineering versus outsourcing engineering, etc.

Mr. O誰eal said he had seen it both ways. One has to take a look at the existing structure, resources and needs of the organization before being able to make a broad brush determination as to whether or not you want outsourcing on engineering, legal,

negotiations, etc. He liked to use in house people whenever possible but often times the staff is not equipped to do it and it can be done cheaper outside.

Member DeRoche asked what he had participated in that his performance was not up to his expectations?

Mr. O誰eal said his performance had never lived up to his expectations. He tries to do the best job he can. He works closely with his staff and always takes the problems; it is always his fault when it does not work and he always gives his staff the credit they deserve because he can not do anything without them.

Ms. Gronlund-Fox asked what Mr. O誰eal believed would be his greatest challenge in the undertaking that you would be involved in if you were to become the next City Manager of the City of Novi?

Mr. O誰eal said he would have to follow Ed Kriewall who has been here forever and has his own management style. People do not like change and there will be wholesale change here. His biggest challenge will be to come in and show that he can be a manager and make the transition as smooth as possible.

Ms. Gronlund-Fox asked if she were to approach a group of people that knew him well, professionally and personally, and asked them to describe him in three words what three words would they use?

Mr. O誰eal said they would be confident, capable and compassionate.

Ms. Gronlund-Fox asked him to elaborate on those words?

Mr. O誰eal said because he had always been known as a very competent person and accomplished those things he set out to do. Capable, in that he has the background and experience to accomplish the goals that are set before him. Compassionate, not to a fault, but very, very compassionate because people have a propensity on this planet to be terrible human beings to one another. They get in positions of authority and they are dictatorial, nepoleonic and people do not like that and he did not like it either. He said the golden rule is very simple.

Ms. Gronlund-Fox asked what a good work ethic meant to him?

Mr. O誰eal said you do not cheat on your coffee break or lunch hour, on your time, on petty cash slips. You do not cheat. You lead by example and come to work first and leave last because they are going to watch the Manager. Your attitude and how you express yourself to employees goes a long way.

Member Kramer asked Mr. O誰eal for a brief synopsis of his educational and professional background, specifically in areas that would apply to the position being sought?

Mr. O誰eal said he was fortunate enough to spend seven years with the City of Southfield. He was not the City Manager but was lucky enough to work at the right hand of the power. There were a lot of very talented people there. It is Oakland County and they went through the same type of growth that you have here. He said he can bring experience regarding how it does not work and can bring a combination of experience and education to Novi and help apply that.

Member Kramer asked why he decided to seek employment, after Clawson, in the consultant area?

Mr. O誰eal said he has experience in the zoning areas and had shared offices with a planning consultant and had experience in that area. It can be very, very lucrative and he thought he would try it. The Mayor in Howell called him and they needed an interim Manager because they were in the process of getting another City Manager.

Member Kramer asked why he is now deciding to apply for Novi?

Mr. O誰eal said because this is what I do and I like it.

Member Kramer asked what his greatest accomplishment was and why?

Mr. O誰eal said he was really proud of the downtown of Clawson. It is a community that is very mature, no place to expand and the downtown had not been painted in 35 years. He said they were able to effectuate a grant and completely redo the downtown area from building fa軋de to building fa軋de. They took the streets and sidewalks out and put brick pavers down, street trees, ornamental lights and it is gorgeous and everyone is happy with it. There are no vacancies there now and everyone wants to stay there. It

was also a great accomplishment to work in Clawson because when he got there, they were broke in every aspect and every fund. Over the 13 years he was there he was able to accomplish, with capital programs, millions and millions of dollars and he left them with a fund balance of about 50% of their General Fund.

Member Kramer asked what his approach would be to outreach to the community and to involve individual participation in city government?

Mr. O誰eal said he is a Charter Member of Rotary Club for Clawson and past president of all the organizations there and he did not do that because he is the City Manager. He said it was important to be involved in your community but being the City Manager I am your ambassador. Your Department Heads should be ambassadors and be out in the community. We need to go to schools and speak to community groups and let them know what Council is doing.

Member Kramer asked how he would go about identifying, capturing and picking up important innovations and initiatives for the benefit of the City.

Mr. O誰eal said he sat on the Board of Directors of the Michigan City Management Associations and they set up training for City Managers. It is very important that you participate in the National League of Cities, MML and in managers groups and network with these groups.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked what aspects of the City Manager痴 position did he think he would enjoy most?

Mr. O誰eal said he liked all of it. Every day is a new day and there are always six Department Heads at your door and decisions have to be made all the time and he never looks back.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked what aspects would he enjoy least?

Mr. O誰eal said the hardest two things are hiring and firing. They are very difficult task to hire someone and very painful to fire someone because it is not just the individual but also their family.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if he had initiated or implemented any human resource or departmental policies that saved his city any money or provided greater efficiency?

Mr. O誰eal said if the City you are going into has had a good Manager in the past you take up where they left off and refine what they already have in place. Therefore, to say he did X, Y and Z would not be true. Did he expand on certain things? Sure. Did He bring his perspective in on how things should run? Yes and he hoped his way of doing things was more efficient.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if he could elaborate on any one particular thing?

Mr. O誰eal said managing the consultants was a very important thing.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if he had implemented any advancement or merit opportunities for employees?

Mr. O誰eal said when he got to Clawson they had no merit systems and had nothing in place and they were able to put into place a merit system whereby if certain goals were met they would go to the next step in their pay range. He used point systems to evaluate people.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked when he empowered employees and found that decisions an employee made resulted in or contributed to financial loss for the city, embarrassing situations for the city or less than quality development for the city what would he do?

Mr. O誰eal said if someone is given the opportunity to carry out a goal or objective and it becomes a failure it is a personal failure for you as well. If people are not allowed to make mistakes they will not work for you and they become ineffective. So one has to be careful how they deal with any failure.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if the Mayor or City Council Member shared information with him that could be relevant to a future decision would he share the information with the rest of the Council or leave it up to the person to do so?

Mr. O誰eal said it is very important that all of Council knows all of the same information.

If there is information that is relative and would be good for all of the Council and all of the Council should have it then they are going to get it. One of the ways he would do this is by his Friday Report that he uses to tell Council what went on that week. This is something that he started many years ago.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if the City was the unsuccessful party in a lawsuit and the media called for a response how would you respond?

Mr. O誰eal said he would hit him right between the eyes. He would go straightforward because if he tried to sidestep an issue it would make it worse.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if there was an allegation of sexual harassment within a department how would he approach the situation?

Mr. O誰eal said he would approach it immediately. He has dealt with that situation with a very high ranking official and we hit it straight square between the eyes; right now. There is no tolerance for that whatsoever.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if in addition to any prosecution in terms of criminal matters if there was sufficient evidence would any disciplinary action be taken and to what degree?

Mr. O誰eal said he could not tell her to what extent because every situation has its own. It would not be tolerated and he would not back away from at all. Depending on the level or severity of the action, discharge is not out of the question.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if he thought a City Department Head should have been aware of a potential situation?

Mr. O誰eal said if a Department Head is running their department he/she should know what is going on within the organization. However, each situation has its own facts. If it is an ongoing sexual harassment case they should know about it and if the Department Head knew and ignored it, then that is where he would come in.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if there would be any disciplinary action for the Department Head?

Mr. O誰eal said if it was true yes, up to and including discharge.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked him if potentially contaminating materials were illegally dumped on City property by City employees how would he handle the situation?

Mr. O誰eal said he would call the Haz Met people; whatever it took and he wouldn稚 hide it. It has to be cleaned up. If it is an accident that is one thing. If it was on purpose then there would be discipline. The Manager has to protect the City first.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked how he thought the City could more effectively manage its risk?

Mr. O誰eal said one had to constantly do an internal study of what the risks are. What the exposures are. There have to be safety committees to look at the problems that exist within individual departments and make suggestions to the Manager how best to detour that risk.

Member Crawford asked what his experience would be in budget preparation, dealing with the news media, human resources and computer experience?

Mr. O誰eal said he had done complete needs studies in two different communities as it relates to computers and data processing. He knows enough about computers and data management and understands how to procure data processing.

In regards to Union grievances and negotiations he was the lead negotiator in both Clawson and Keego Harbor for contracts with Police, Fire and the whole gamut.

When dealing with the news media, do it straightforward. If there are problems they should be hit square and don稚 say no comment because that puts a cloak over things immediately. There has to be a policy in place on how to deal with the news media.

Mr. O誰eal said he was the person who did the budgets until he hired a Finance Director in Clawson and delegated some of the computer and budget work to the individual. He did the budget for the first 10-12 years that he was in Clawson and also in Keego Harbor. In Southfield he worked with a $60 million budget. He said Novi痴 budget was gorgeous and very well thought out.

Member Crawford asked him if he would confer with Department Heads and recommend revisions in their budgets before final presentation.?

Mr. O誰eal said if it is something that is glaring that they missed relative to goals and objectives he would question it. He felt the first and front line supervisors best know the budget.

Member Crawford asked if there was anything that would interfere with his effectiveness as a City Manager?

Mr. O誰eal said he felt he had the seasoning and could do an effective job for Novi.

Member Crawford asked how he felt about residency requirements for City employees?

Mr. O誰eal said the Manager should live in the community in which he is the Manager. The other side of that is the home rule issue. He said there were a lot of things that the ACLU does that a lot of us might not think is appropriate. He felt the Constitution has been working and it should be left alone. He did not think that the State of Michigan needed to come in and tell the communities how to run their shop.

Member Crawford asked if co-workers were contacted on any level in the organization what would they have to say about you?

Mr. O誰eal said they would probably tell about the three C痴 that were talked about. Being the City Manager and the one who has to say no, you will find those who just do not like me at all. There are also those who would think he is the greatest thing since sliced bread; it all depends on who you talk to.

Mayor Clark asked what he would say were the strongest qualities he would bring to the position of City Manager if he were selected?

Mr. O誰eal said his ability to work effectively with people. To bring out those ethnocentric feelings of the community, of the staff that this is the best community to work for and why. If those ethnocentric feelings can be developed, the efficiency level of the departments, and people will be increased. He would not tolerate a "not my job" attitude.

Mayor Clark asked what would be the most important attribute of whoever would be selected for the position of City Manager in Novi?

Mr. O誰eal said absolute trust. The organization is going through change. The new person has to garner the trust of the organization and the Council. If the word gets out that the people do not feel they can trust the Manager he/she is doomed to failure because the people will not work for them.

Richard J. Clark, Mayor Tonni L. Bartholomew, City Clerk

Transcribed by: ______________________

Charlene Mc Lean

Date approved: January 10, 2000