Town Council Work Session
September 12, 2006
Purpose: Nominations for the At-Large Council Vacancy
Location: Room 10035, 316 N. Academy St. , Cary , NC  

Mayor McAlister called the meeting to order at 4:37 p.m.

The purpose of the work session is to discuss the at large council vacancy for which 37 candidates submitted statements of interests. (The candidates’ statements of interests are attached to and incorporated in these minutes as Exhibit A.)

Mayor McAlister reviewed the work session agenda:  (1) each council member verbally announces nomination(s) to develop the initial nomination short list--Mayor McAlister stated that there may be some commonality among council members’ nominations for top candidates and suggested that in order to avoid the appearance of a straw vote council members not repeat any of the names being brought forth for nomination; (2) council closes nominations and the list of 10 becomes the short list; (3) council discusses the criteria important to them in considering their nomination(s); (4) council votes to accept specific criteria to use as a group and further refines the short list; and, (5) council adjourns the meeting.  A follow-up meeting will be scheduled in the coming weeks at which time the council will make a final decision. This adjournment period gives council members the opportunity to become better acquainted with the candidates on the short list.

To narrow the list council members individually put forth their top two candidates who had not previously been named:    

Mayor Pro Tem Smith:   Dick Domann, Don Hyatt
Mr. Roseland:                Erv Portman, Tom Hemrick
Ms. Dorrel:                    Carol Aupperle, Lois Nixon
Mrs. Robinson:              James Dixon, Don Frantz
Ms. Robison:                 Vickie Maxwell, Brent Miller

Mayor McAlister stated that his top two were among those presented and he did not put forth any candidates.

Mrs. Robison stated that it is important to consider applicants who have served in leadership positions, especially on the Town’s boards and commissions and graduates of the School of Government .  She said that it is important for the candidates to be dedicated, understand the critical issues in the Town, have familiarity with staff and have a demonstrated commitment.

Ms. Dorrel said that she is specifically looking for Town board and commission experience, School of Government graduates, or some other avenue into Town government. She is not just looking for leadership, but for specific direct experience with Town government operations, interface with staff, and those who have invested time in those areas.

Mr. Roseland echoed the previous thoughts and stated that he would like to see someone appointed that who has experience with the Town and will have a minimized learning curve.

Mrs. Robinson said that anyone coming into the position will have a steep learning curve. She would prefer the candidate be someone who is interested in running in the following election and who looks at the position as an investment of five years. She is also looking for someone who is familiar with Cary ’s current climate, such as growth, recent policy decisions, and quality of life issues.

Mayor McAlister asked if all of the candidates on the short list have expressed interest in seeking office in the November election.  Several council members responded stating that some candidates did indicate that interest, while others stated they did not intend to continue past the term expiration.  Mayor McAlister stated that the candidates’ interest to pursue election after the term expiration may bear further investigation

Mr. Roseland said that it would be refreshing to have someone who doesn’t have a political agenda that can help fill a needed seat and help serve the governing function.

Mayor Pro Tem Smith stated that he is looking for someone who has independence of thought, critical and analytical thinking, and the ability to do homework.  He said that another important factor is for the candidate to be philosophically aligned to what the voters intended when electing Michael Joyce, which is fiscal conservatism.

Mr. Roseland said that there are also candidates who have presented themselves as candidates in previous elections and were not selected by the voters. Council needs to respect the voters’ decisions and their message about perspective candidates.

Mayor McAlister said they should respect past voter decisions and take into consideration current council members who those candidates campaigned against.

Ms. Dorrel said that she is looking to achieve less divisiveness and polarizing. She said it is difficult for someone who has been an opponent a current council member to achieve that kind of cohesiveness and harmony.  Additionally, she wants to eliminate anyone who has a professional real estate or development interest due to the difficulty of separating professional from public interests.  She said that type of decision is something better left to the voters.

Mayor McAlister agreed that there are some candidates better selected by the voters than council and that concerns would exist with any special interest falling over into council decisions.  He said that the selected candidate should be someone who is balanced and has a respect for the total breadth of council decisions.

Mr. Roseland said that the selected candidate should be someone who is able to cohesively interact with the current council.  Mrs. Robison said it should be someone who is a consensus builder and who will feel comfortable to the entire council regardless of philosophy. She said it would be ideal for the candidate to achieve a unanimous backing from council members.

Mrs. Robinson asked if longevity in Cary mattered in the process. Mayor Pro Tem Smith responded that with every election 25 percent of the voters are new. He said that the better questions are whether the candidate has a good understanding of the issues facing the community and whether they can demonstrate an independence of thought. Mayor McAlister agreed and added that it is important that the candidate have a demonstrated wiliness to consider other viewpoints.

The following summarizes council members’ discussions for qualifications most important to them individually in selecting the best candidates:

• Familiarity with current planning and policy issues;
• Service in leadership positions such as the School of Government , boards and commissions, and Town of Cary community;
• Direct experience with Town government and staff;
• Minimal learning curve;
• Interest in running in the 2007 election;
• Independence of thought (critical and analytical thinking);
• Philosophically aligned with Michael Joyce;
• Respect for past voter decisions and past candidates versus seated council members;
• No professional real estate/developer interest or any other special interest; and
• Willingness to be open to colleagues.

To narrow the short list from ten to five candidates, council members individually put forth their top candidate for the final list: 

Mrs. Robinson:              James Dixon
Ms. Robison:                 Vicki Maxwell
Mayor Pro Tem Smith:   Dick Domann
Mr. Roseland:                Erv Portman
Ms. Dorrel:                    Carol Aupperle

Ms. Dorrel initially put forth Erv Portman as her top nomination; however, Mrs. Robison pointed back to the initial suggestion from Mayor McAlister that council members would not repeat candidates already presented.

Mayor McAlister stated that his top candidate was among those presented and he did not put forth another candidate.

Mayor Pro Tem Smith asked if the goal for the next meeting is to gain consensus. Mayor McAlister responded yes. He said that it would be ideal if council agreed on one candidate, but if they are unable to reach consensus then a majority. 

Mrs. Robison stated that she did not know all of the candidates on the short list but she hopes that council would be able to agree on one person. Mayor McAlister said that while it is admirable to try to reach consensus, council should certainly be able to reach a majority; if not, then they will serve as a six person council until November 2007. 

Ms. Dorrel said that it sounds like they don’t have consensus on consensus. She said it would be valuable for each council member to talk about their feelings regarding the importance of consensus in this decision. She said that the only way consensus works is when every member of the group values consensus; otherwise, it becomes a weakness in negotiation and an opportunity to manipulate the negotiation. She said that they need to be clear about whether they are committed to work for consensus or whether they are willing to go with just the majority vote.

Mayor McAlister responded that he would love to have consensus but, as a whole, there haven’t been a lot times when council members have reached consensus. He would certainly settle for a majority and, as a distant third, they agree to disagree and wind up with a six-person council through November 2007. 

Mayor Pro Tem Smith said that council members should vote their conscience and leave it at the table.

Ms. Dorrel stated that they didn’t need to go any further because consensus doesn’t work unless everyone agrees on consensus. She said the issue is if they all agree that consensus is their goal; if it’s not, then her individual opinion doesn’t matter because they already had two dissenters.

Over the next two to three weeks Council members will have the opportunity to meet with the final candidates.  Council will work with the clerk’s office to schedule those interviews and will then hold another work session to vote on the final candidate. 

The work session adjourned at 5:42 p.m.