Politics & Government
Process to Replace Thanas Under Way
The Joliet City Council hired a search firm Tuesday that will help find candidates and assist in the interview process.
The process of replacing Joliet City Manager Tom Thanas has begun, with the Joliet City Council agreeing Tuesday to hire a firm to oversee advertising the job, recruiting candidates and arranging for interviews.
Voorhees Associates, of Deerfield, will be paid $13,500, plus up to $4,500 in expenses, for work that should take about three months.
Thanas, city manager since 2008, announced his plans to resign last month following several skirmishes with council members. He has agreed to stay while his successor is found.
Voorhees representative Robert Beezat explained the search process his company would follow to the council members Monday. The initial step, he said, is to determine what qualities the council and public seek in the next city manager.
"The first thing we would do is come and meet with you and people in the community, as you deem appropriate, to get their input on what they see as the issues and challenges facing the city of Joliet," Beezat said. "The kind of background and experience they would like to see in a city manager."
From there, an online recruitment brochure is created and advertising placed in professional journals, he said. Voorhees will also actively recruit candidates that have the qualifications being sought, he said.
They would expect 50 or 60 people to apply, although it could be more given that the economy is improving, Beezat said.
"Applications have picked up lately just because the housing market's gotten better," he said. "(Applicants) certainly wouldn't have problems buying a home in a community, but selling where they're at has been an issue."
The field is narrowed to 15 or 20, and Voorhees does its own interviews and background checks before presenting 10 or 12 candidate options to the council, Beezat said. The council decides who they'd like to talk to, usually five or six of the applicants, and then cuts the field to two or three finalists.
After another round of interviews, and possible public input as well, the council should be able to make a choice, he said.
Voorhees will do the bulk of the work, including arranging for interview times and locations, creating lists of possible questions council members can ask and helping to negotiate a contract, Beezat said.
Voorhees has assisted in several Chicago suburbs and large Illinois cities in doing executive searches. Among them, they helped Orland Park, Oak Lawn and Homer Glen hire village managers and the city of Rockford find both a city manager and a director of finance.
Thanas, city manager since 2008, announced his plans to resign last month following several skirmishes with council members. He has agreed to stay while his successor is found.
Voorhees representative Robert Beezat explained the search process his company would follow to the council members Monday. The initial step, he said, is to determine what qualities the council and public seek in the next city manager.
"The first thing we would do is come and meet with you and people in the community, as you deem appropriate, to get their input on what they see as the issues and challenges facing the city of Joliet," Beezat said. "The kind of background and experience they would like to see in a city manager."
From there, an online recruitment brochure is created and advertising placed in professional journals, he said. Voorhees will also actively recruit candidates that have the qualifications being sought, he said.
They would expect 50 or 60 people to apply, although it could be more given that the economy is improving, Beezat said.
"Applications have picked up lately just because the housing market's gotten better," he said. "(Applicants) certainly wouldn't have problems buying a home in a community, but selling where they're at has been an issue."
The field is narrowed to 15 or 20, and Voorhees does its own interviews and background checks before presenting 10 or 12 candidate options to the council, Beezat said. The council decides who they'd like to talk to, usually five or six of the applicants, and then cuts the field to two or three finalists.
After another round of interviews, and possible public input as well, the council should be able to make a choice, he said.
Voorhees will do the bulk of the work, including arranging for interview times and locations, creating lists of possible questions council members can ask and helping to negotiate a contract, Beezat said.
Voorhees has assisted in several Chicago suburbs and large Illinois cities in doing executive searches. Among them, they helped Orland Park, Oak Lawn and Homer Glen hire village managers and the city of Rockford find both a city manager and a director of finance.
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