Next month, we will go to the polls to choose who will represent us in our city governments. This form of direct representation is important for a variety of reasons, but there are other important positions that are not chosen by the voters, but by the people we vote into office.
Making the right hires for department heads and other key positions is arguably one of the most important tasks of our elected officials because they have such a bearing on the operations of our governments.
Monday, the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors made one such hire, choosing county comptroller Delois Farmer to replace Emily Garrard who is retiring in June as county administrator.
Similarly, the city of Columbus will choose a new chief operations officer to replace David Armstrong, who announced in March he will retire at the end of June.
We hope Columbus will be more transparent in the hiring process than Oktibbeha County proved to be.
Meaning no disrespect to Farmer, who has worked for the county for 23 years, the process by which the supervisors made their choice left much to be desired when it comes to the public’s reasonable right to know basic details of the process.
The supervisors interviewed four finalists in a “public” meeting, but failed to alert the media about the meeting or otherwise promote it. In fact, the names and qualifications of the finalists were only made widely public when an unnamed source provided their resumes to The Dispatch.
While we recognize these hires are not made by residents but by the people we choose to represent us, providing residents the opportunity to learn about the candidates and their qualifications affirms these elected boards are doing the people’s bidding and not their own.
That said, there are reasonable limitations.
These jobs are not unlike many private sector jobs in the sense that some candidates ask for anonymity when applying for the job. Presumably, the candidates are already employed and may fear that applying for another job could jeopardize their current position. That’s understandable.
If providing anonymity means attracting a bigger field of candidates, it’s hard to make a case against the practice.
But at some point, making public the identity and qualifications of job candidates for key positions is important. That point, we believe, is when the finalists are chosen.
To date, Columbus residents know next to nothing about the search for a new COO. A job post for the position was made on the city’s website in March but has since been removed. We do not know the qualifications the city has established, how many candidates have applied or even the process through which a new COO will be chosen.
Providing that information does not compromise the search or expose candidates against their wishes. What it does do is assure the public that the process is thorough, fair and designed to identify the very best candidate for this important position.
When the city council does narrow the field of candidates, we hope they will share the finalists’ qualifications.
The final decision belongs to our elected representatives, but that does not mean the decision must be made in secrecy. Sharing that information gives residents the sense that the choice will be made on merit.
It inspires confidence rather than feeds suspicion.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.