Question: What criteria would you use when selecting residents to serve on boards and committees?
I hold to the ideal that it is wrong to play political games. My staff and I would never use the position to bribe or reward those who have helped me personally. I am proud to say I have made no promises to anyone or even hinted that I would appoint someone as an incentive for supporting me. In addition my staff and I would use the following as guidelines for those who are appointed.
- We would expect those who serve to have some degree of expertise relative to the position in which they serve.
- Rather than drawing from the same “good ol boy/lady" pool, we would like to make a concerted effort to look beyond those who always seem to be in the loop and bring in fresh eyes when possible.
- We would only ask those to serve who actually reside in Provo.
- We would strive to select individuals that represent all groups in our city. This includes the 34 neighborhoods, students, minorities and businesses.
- We would insist that those who serve build unity in the city.
Question: Will you make changes to our current department heads?
During the last year I have not only met with the department heads but many employees. I have also attended most of the city council meetings, board meetings for the airport, Provo Housing, Parks and Recreation, Power and many others.
From this research I have learned that we have many good employees and some very talented department leaders. It is my observation that the city is very lucky to have the talented group of leaders that we have.
It is easy for an outsider looking in to find fault and second guess how things have been done. I would never let an employee go until I was able to express my concerns to them and give them a chance to improve where needed. I don’t believe the termination of employment should ever be a surprise to anyone. I also feel that just because an employee may have been less than adequate in the past, they should be given a chance to prove themselves under my leadership.
I have enjoyed working with managers and employees in my career and feel that I am very good at recognizing and rewarding talent as well as dealing head on with problems and holding employees accountable for their job performance. In my current role as chief Operations Officer at Action Target I have had the opportunity to reorganize many departments. Each time we have done this we have not only created a better situation for the company but for the employees as well.
