The search for Crestwood’s city administrator is steadily moving forward. At the city’s Board of Aldermen meeting on Feb. 24, board members unanimously voted on two action items to advance the hiring process: an ordinance altering city requirements for the position and a final decision on the hiring firm that will be used to find candidates.

First, aldermen passed an ordinance that would remove the requirement for the next city administrator to live in Crestwood. The current code allows the Board of Aldermen to waive the residency requirement, but in a memo by Mayor Scott Shipley, he said the code requirement may “discourage qualified candidates from applying.” 

Kris Simpson, Crestwood’s former city administrator, did not live in the city. The memo stated that it was “important” to remove the requirement before the hiring search began in earnest. 

“This requirement is outdated and does not add value to the city,” Shipley stated in his memo to the Board of Aldermen. “Over the past decade, Crestwood made significant progress under the leadership of a city administrator who did not reside within city limits. Our financial stability, capital planning and overall operations during that time demonstrate that residency was not a factor in performance.”

Toward the end of the meeting, the aldermen approved the selection of Colin Baenziger & Associates (CB&A) as the hiring firm that will recruit the future city administrator. The company operates nationally and specializes in recruiting executives.

Crestwood received 10 bids from hiring firms, and city staff narrowed that list down to three firms that met the requirements and were “pretty much the same price,” according to Shipley. He and Ward 3 Alderman Grant Mabie did research and interviewed the firms, recommending CB&A to the board as the best fit. 

Shipley anticipates that representatives from CB&A will come to Crestwood in March. They’ll interview each alderman individually, as well as members of staff and “important external stakeholders” in order to understand what they’re looking for in a city administrator. 

CB&A will then put together marketing materials and reach out to its “extensive network” for potential candidates. The firm will do much of the first-round interviews, screening and vetting before Crestwood board or staff will interview candidates.

“Kudos to the mayor for all the extra time he spent — hours and hours of telephone interviews with the principals of the finalist (firms), as well as references from talking with mayors and city administrators,” Mabie said. “It’s an excellent call, and we’ll see the results.”