SPECIAL MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NOVI

SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2000, AT 12:00 PM

COUNCIL CHAMBERS-NOVI CIVIC CENTER-45175 W. TEN MILE ROAD

Mayor Clark called the meeting to order at 12:07 PM.

ROLL CALL: Mayor Clark, Mayor ProTem Lorenzo, Council Members Bononi, Crawford, Csordas, DeRoche and Kramer

Ms. Gronlund asked if he was to become the next City Manager of Novi what would be his most challenging undertaking and how would he go about the process of achieving a goal?

Mr. Chinault said the most challenging undertaking would be to look in terms of the long-range plans and look at the comprehensive plan that the community has. One of the major things beyond the land use issue would be transportation. To make sure there is capacity on the roads, to look to the future rather than waiting until there are no right of ways to acquire and determine how traffic would move. Also, to minimize traffic lights and dysfunctional intersections.

Ms. Gronlund asked if she were to ask the people that knew him best, both personally and professionally, to describe him in three words what words would they use and why?

Mr. Chinault said hard working because he enjoys what he does and spends time working and they would see the sense of enthusiasm he has for his work. They would say he is honest because he is not influenced by individuals because they are a certain stature or are not of a certain stature. Everybody gets fair and equal treatment and he operates the government in a fair and impartial manner. The third word would be fair in terms of the services that are delivered. He tries to look not only at those people who contribute a lot of money and taxes but to everyone regardless of who pays the most tax revenue. Services are provided by determining where the greatest need is.

Ms. Gronlund asked what work ethic and integrity meant to him?

Mr. Chinault said work ethic is somebody who puts his nose to the grindstone, works hard, puts in long hours, is not afraid of or shies away from work but values work and takes pride in any kind of work he does.

Member Bononi asked what he considered to be the critical components of customer service and how would he implement these components as City Manager?

Mr. Chinault said most jurisdictions do surveys of the users of the system. He would look back at the user surveys and determine whether the people who use the service are satisfied with it. He would then implement changes based on that.

Member Bononi asked what his greatest municipal accomplishment was that had positive environmental implications?

Mr. Chinault said in Fliger County the Board of County Commissioners and the community are very environmentally sensitive. There were two very strong, important projects that he enjoyed participating in. There is a parcel of land of about 70 acres boarding the intercoastal waterway and the Atlantic Ocean. It was next to an old amusement facility with property next to it that someone purchased and wanted to develop condos. The ocean frontage is very valuable and is becoming lost. While there is some development, a lot of it is undeveloped and available for public use and access. They got the 70 acres by partnering with a trust for public lands and got it out of bankruptcy. They got a grant for $8.4 million in principal because they were able to work well with the state and had a good track record on protecting the environment. It is being preserved and restored and will be developed with passive parks, picnic areas and walking areas.

Member Bononi asked how he would define the concept of smart growth and apply it to the City of Novi?

Mr. Chinault said it is generally referred to as the government anticipating where the needs are and providing the infrastructure there. Such as the road widening where there already is development as opposed to allowing growth to occur and promoting road widening or putting schools out in the hinterlands of a jurisdiction, which encourages growth. If a subdivision could not reach capacity in terms of level of service on a road perhaps it would be denied building permits or approvals. Therefore it would not locate two miles from the core of the city but might locate a half a mile from the city on a different piece of land based on the fact that the infrastructure is in place there or is programmed to be in place there.

Member Bononi said as City Manager you receive repeated complaints from citizens about selective enforcement of Ordinances; the Ordinances are clear. What is your response?

Mr. Chinault said his first response to citizens would be he wanted to talk to staff. He would want to determine if it really was selective enforcement and if so why. If there were violations he would call the citizen and explain that they were valid violations and would offer to go to their homes and walk them through the regulations.

Member Bononi asked if he was approached by a landowner who wanted the City to purchase his property but you have not been directed to seek property acquisitions and the property owner presses you to continue along this line, what would you do?

Mr. Chinault said if direction had been given, then he would know there was a need for property and it might be worth exploring. If no direction had been given then there is no need to pursue it. The property owner could go before Council.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if he had implemented or initiated any human resource or departmental policies that have saved the city or county money or has provided greater efficiency?

Mr. Chinault said he did not know. In Charles County the N.A.A.C.P Chapter had filed complaints with the E.E.O.C. against the County before he became County Administrator and they determined that they did have a deficiency in their practices and in their policies. Through extensive training of key people they developed policies in terms of advertising, hiring and promotional type things. Mr. Chinault said he drafted new policies and revised existing policies and through that process they were able to get out of the complaint filed with the E.E.O.C. office. The policy was changed so that it did not discriminate and employees were trained in E.E.O.C. matters, affirmative action and sexual harassment.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked what he thought was a good policy statement or policy in terms of effective Risk Management?

Mr. Chinault said in terms of Risk Management opportunities he would always want to provide services in such a way that his employees are provided them fairly and honestly.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked when he empowered an employee and the employee’s decision resulted or contributed to either a financial loss for the City, embarrassing situation or less than quality development projects, what would he do? Are there any consequences?

Mr. Chinault said there should be consequences but if the mistake is made through the work of that employee as part of a team, then one employee might have been more responsible than others. It could have been a team error as opposed to just an individual. He always found in disciplining an employee, their track record has to be looked at regarding how long they had been with the city, were there other disciplinary actions and what kind of evaluations they had received. If an employee is a long time employee he would not necessarily cut them loose. Discipline is tried to improve the employee. If a long time employee the city has a lot invested in them and they are a valuable resource. If it is someone without a good track record termination might be the answer.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if the City is the unsuccessful party in a lawsuit and the media calls for a response and you have not briefed the Council, how would you respond to the media?

Mr. Chinault said, depending on his knowledge of the situation and the knowledge he thought the Council Members had, he would tell the reporter that he would call them back prior to deadline. He would discuss it with the City Attorney to make sure he

understood the decision and work with each of the elected officials. He would make sure he got back to the reporter.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if the Mayor or a Council Member shared information with him that could be relevant to a future decision, would he share the information with Council or would he expect the Mayor or Council Member who shared the information to do so?

Mr. Chinault said it depended on the nature of it. If he thought it was sensitive he might tell the Mayor or Council Member that everyone should know about it. He would bounce it off the one that told him and then it would be his decision. There had to be a level of trust between the City Manager, Mayor and Council so that what they said would not automatically be broadcast to the world.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if potentially contaminating materials were illegally dumped on City property by City employees how would he approach the situation and would there be any consequences?

Mr. Chinault said first he would contact the regulatory agencies and determine what the liability was and what the situation was and then let the elected officials and the attorney know about it. The worst thing would be to cover it up. The first thing is to protect the public. If the employee did it intentionally, then they would have to be cut loose and if accidentally then he would weigh that in terms of their past employment record.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if there was an allegation of sexual harassment within a department how would he approach the situation and if there was sufficient evidence would there be any consequences?

Mr. Chinault said there should already be a policy on the books and assumed Novi had one so that the person harassed would be directed as to where to go. That policy should be followed. If it is determined through the investigation who the employee was that had sexually harassed someone then they would probably be dismissed depending upon the nature of the sexual harassment. He commented he had fired employees before and it is not fun but the jurisdiction has to be protected and the Manager can not afford to have the jurisdiction exposed to being sued because it condoned that kind of behavior.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if the department heads should be aware of these situations and if they are unaware, should there be any discipline for the department head?

Mr. Chinault said it depended on how blatant it was and thought each situation would have to be looked at individually. There might be some action to insure that all department heads are aware of signs of sexual harassment so that they would be better alerted to it going on.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked what aspects of the City Manager position did he think he would enjoy most?

Mr. Chinault said the long range planning aspect and having a bit of vision. He liked to look into the future and look at what the transportation needs are, where the roads should be, where the subdivisions are and where the growth is occurring. Making sure there is sewer and water and looking at long term finances and things of that nature. He also enjoyed dealing with people problems and he found it was refreshing to get back to what government is about which is providing services. He said it is also good to get out into the community and know what is going on in the community. Government is not just here to give employment; it is here to service the people.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked what he would least enjoy?

Mr. Chinault did not enjoy travelling to the state capital to testify before legislative committees and things of that nature.

Member Kramer asked for a brief synopsis of his education and professional background and asked him to focus on areas that would directly relate to being a City Manager for the City of Novi?

Mr. Chinault stated he had a Bachelor of Science Degree and was working towards a Master Degree when he got divorced. He ended up moving and putting a son, wife and daughter through college so had not finished his Masters Degree. He had specifically received training sessions from Georgetown University Law Center on affirmative action, equal employment opportunity, etc. He received training from I.C.M.A. and the International Personnel Management Association. Most of his professional training has been in the personnel area probably because that is the one weakness they had in government.

Member Kramer said his resume indicated there were a number of shorter assignments prior to the position he now held and asked him to briefly indicate why he sought different appointments?

Mr. Chinault said he tended to be an active County Administrator or Manager in growth communities and he tended to be hired by boards that wanted to accomplish things. They want to extend runways at their airports, build four lane roads, put in sidewalks, build recreation centers, etc. Sometimes communities get anxious and they determine that they do not want to have this much development and do not want to spend this much money. In doing those things they tend to vote out those commissioners who are there and elect people who are more sympathetic to their way of thinking. Those commissioners get replaced by essentially more "do nothing commissioners" who want to just hold everything down. A few years later the election changes people again and they get people that want to do things and they fire that manager and get someone who wants to get things done.

Member Kramer asked what his greatest accomplishment was and why?

Mr. Chinault said when he came to Fliger County they had a very dysfunctional staff and relationship between the board, county commissioners and the staff. They had not done anything to prepare for their road situation, which was about 700 miles that the

county was responsible for and they had no annual maintenance program. He said it scared him because he had always been very aggressive in terms of road maintenance because citizens use roads and they respond to good roads and bad roads. He said over four years he developed a road program by focusing on a base coat, which preserved the integrity of the roads. He felt that was very good because it protected the infrastructure long term and is a greater benefit to the community.

Member Kramer asked what his approach would be to increasing outreach in the community and increasing citizen participation in government?

Mr. Chinault said it would be helpful to have an active Manager and staff out in the community. He would find out what community groups there were and how often they met. Many times the groups liked to have speakers and it would be helpful to have staff attend those meetings and have Council Members attend or be scheduled to provide information on projects and situations. He would like to see staff go out on an individual basis. If it is a big "cry" because there are problems in areas it is helpful to have meetings in those areas with 3, 4, 5, key players and have a meeting in a troubled location.

Member Kramer asked how he would encourage and support innovation and initiative within his administration?

Mr. Chinault thought it would have to be a priority in terms of the evaluation process where innovation and creativity is recognized, rewarded and compensated regardless of the type of job they had. Further, he would have a cash reward program possibly based on the percentage of savings for those who do provide creative ideas and savings to the government.

Member Csordas asked if he was still at Fliger County?

Mr. Chinault said he was not. He was currently unemployed because there was an election and he got two new commissioners and the new board came in and fired the attorney and the administrator.

Member Csordas asked why they were fired?

Mr. Chinault said a particular major developer felt that he and the attorney were a hindrance to his developing as he wished because they tended to follow board regulations. During the campaign he indicated he would pledge his financial and other support to those candidates that would proceed to fire the attorney and the administrator. Also, in 1998 there was a wildfire and the U. S. Forestry Service felt the fires were merging and the entire county was evacuated and many were not happy about that. There was also a problem with removing all the burned palm trees because they presented a danger of falling when they dried out. The trees were taken down and laid until they could haul them away and some felt it took too long.

Member Csordas asked why he was applying for the position of City Manager in Novi?

Mr. Chinault said because he was looking for a challenging position where he could make a difference and have an impact. He would like to get further north since his extended family is closer to this area.

Member Csordas asked what was his most challenging responsibility at his last position?

Mr. Chinault said to get the staff to not be dysfunctional anymore. When the Board of County Commissioners made a decision the staff just kind of filtered it through to figure out how long it could get lost within their own bureaucracy. If they did not want to do it, it was not going to be done. They had to be made functional again and this was done by having weekly staff meetings, allowing interplay between the staff to be sure there were no secret agendas and when things came to him he would get the players together so that everyone knew what was going on. He opened up communications in government and felt it really helped.

Member Csordas said there are a few significant newsworthy issues facing this City Council and the City of Novi. What do you consider to be the most important and challenging of these issues and why?

Mr. Chinault said a large judgement against the City would be a major issue because of its implications.

Member DeRoche asked him to expand on how he would motivate staff?

Mr. Chinault said he tried to find out as much as possible about their jobs. He wants knowledge of the job so he can appreciate the job that they do and show support. He said he stops and talks with his employees whenever he sees them and whether inside or out and tells them he appreciates what they are doing.

Member DeRoche asked what motivated him?

Mr. Chinault said serving the public. He liked local government and planned on doing it for another 20 years.

Member DeRoche asked him to share a time when his performance did not live up to his own expectations and what he learned from it and did to correct it?

Mr. Chinault said the one area that had caused him the most questioning was in Fliger County there were two particular roads that needed to be paved. One was a major hurricane evacuation route and the other would take traffic off a major road that was a problem. There was a July deadline and a period when the board was not meeting so

he was faced with not being able to get their approval. He had a solution to a problem but did not know what the board members thought. There were five commissioners and he had the opportunity to have the board adopt a local option gas tax which for Florida was a second set of local option pennies that would provide revenue to construct the roads. It had to be done by July 1 or they would not have been able to get the revenue for a year. He said they went ahead and scheduled a public hearing and let the board members know. This left them without having to take a position. The bad side was it

kind of put them in a box and the good side is it left a big opening for them. There was a big turnout and the meeting ended up being adjourned by the commissioners.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked when he empowered an employee and the employee’s decision resulted or contributed to either a financial loss for the City, an embarrassing situation or less than quality development projects, what would he do?

Mr. Bonaparte said if you empower then you are running the risk of having some negative consequences. It is used as a learning tool but if it is something fraudulent then there is discipline involved but if it was an honest mistake then it is used as a learning tool.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if the City is the unsuccessful party in a lawsuit and the media calls for a response and you have not briefed the Council, how would you respond to the media?

Mr. Bonaparte said he would very nicely say no comment. He thought the Manager’s role was to serve at the pleasure and for the pleasure of the Council. If the Council had not been briefed and the Mayor and Council had not given direction then the Manager had no direction.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if the Mayor or a Council Member shared information with him that could be relevant to a future decision, would he share the information with Council or would he expect the Mayor or Council Member who shared the information to do so?

Mr. Bonaparte said he would gage the climate among the Council. He said he did not know the Novi Council. He knew there were cities where Council interaction is not always congenial. If it is information that is germane to making a decision and that information did not come out during the Council deliberations and the Manager felt that it was important for the Council to be aware of it, then it should be shared in a generic way.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if there was an allegation of sexual harassment within a department how would he approach the situation and if there was sufficient evidence, would there be any consequences?

Mr. Bonaparte said there would absolutely be consequences. Sexual harassment, racial harassment or harassment of any kind can not be tolerated in the work place for a

couple of reasons. On the earlier question asked about risk management, one of the difficult points of being a Manager is when the lawsuit comes it says either you knew something or you should have known something. Therefore, it is important for the management of the organization to have in place procedures and to the best extent know what is going on within. It is difficult with sexual harassment because unless the harassee has indicated or made that known to somebody, it might be difficult for management to know. If it has been substantiated then there should be very severe consequences and should not be tolerated in any organization.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if the department head should be aware that a situation might have been occurring and if they have not been aware should there be consequences?

Mr. Bonaparte said if it is something that took place between two people and it was almost impossible for anyone outside to know he would look at it differently than something that was rumored or people knew but no one wanted to get involved. That is different and the department director should have known.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if potentially contaminating materials were illegally dumped on City property by City employees, how would he approach the situation and would there be any consequences?

Mr. Bonaparte said absolutely there would be consequences. It is an illegal act, a criminal situation and criminal charges should be filed and pursued to the fullest extent of the law. That is not only negligent but it is criminal.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked what aspects of the City Manager position did he think he would enjoy most?

Mr. Bonaparte said he would enjoy the variety and interaction with the people.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked what he would least enjoy?

Mr. Bonaparte said understanding there are some complaints that he could do nothing about.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if he had any business or professional relationships with anyone who works for or is a public official in Novi at this time?

Mr. Bonaparte said he did not.

Ms. Gronlund asked if he was to become the next City Manager of Novi what did he believe would be his most challenging undertaking?

Mr. Bonaparte said it would be getting to know the community. He believed the Manager needed to be aware of the surroundings and that is not just Novi but the surrounding governments and issues. Also, getting to know the employees whether it is the Police, Clerk, Library and finding out what the challenges are there.

Ms. Gronlund asked how he would go about doing that?

Mr. Bonaparte said he would meet with them. He would go out with the Police and Inspectors and those that serve the community. He would stay in offices to get a sense of what the employees do as well as what challenges they have. If it was external then he would get involved with the local community organizations whether it is the Rotary, Chamber of Commerce or other organizations.

Ms. Gronlund asked if she were to ask the people that knew him best both personally and professionally to describe him in three words, what words would they use and why?

Mr. Bonaparte said professional, effective and low key. He said professional in approaching business in a business perspective. His advanced degree is in Public Administration but from a business school and therefore most of the courses were geared toward the business sector. He would have more of an orientation for that than other professionals. Effective because the challenge is in accomplishing the task. Therefore, effectiveness is the psychic reward the psychic income from the job. Low key because he thought the Manager had to have a balance. He is the link pin between the staff and the Council and the Council and the community at times. He thought the elected officials are the ones who are the front runners but the Manager is there to support them and to provide the necessary stimulus.

Ms. Gronlund asked what work ethic and integrity meant to him?

Mr. Bonaparte said work ethic is the manner in which one goes about doing their job and why they do it; not because of their job description or what the director or supervisor said but what they bring to it themselves. Integrity gets back to the individual and why they do what they do.

Member Kramer asked for a brief synopsis of his education and professional background and focus on areas that would directly relate to being a City Manager for the City of Novi?

Mr. Bonaparte said educationally he has a Masters in Public Administration and professionally he had served as Manager in two communities, both of which have some similarities to Novi. They were both outside a major metropolitan city and he thought that while there are similarities, there are differences. Novi has more of a commercial base, which is one of the attractions of Novi. However, Novi really served as a bedroom community to the region. Although there are a great number of local employees a lot of the people that live in Novi work elsewhere and therefore it is very similar to the other cities he had served as Manager.

Member Kramer said he noticed that Mr. Bonaparte was a Senior Adjunct instructor at a business school and asked how that would be affected in his job change?

Mr. Bonaparte said National Lewis University was over 103 years old and it came out of the Chicago area with a campus in Virginia. In 1988 he was interviewed and appointed as an Adjunct instructor and several years later as a Senior Adjunct instructor. The courses he taught were the Management components of Management Supervision,

Ethics and Behavior, Cultural Diversity, Organizational Communications and the Human Resources courses as well. Primarily what he taught was the Management and Supervision course.

Member Kramer asked if he was still active in that?

Mr. Bonaparte said he was. He said it is a degree completion program and they have a number of classes that meet only on Saturdays. The last group he taught was part of the White House communications group that supported the President and the Vice President when they traveled. They only have classes on Saturdays and Sundays and to go from Willingborough to the campus in Virginia was only two hours.

Member Kramer asked him what his greatest accomplishment was and why?

Mr. Bonaparte said he would share one that was most recent. He was involved with negotiations in getting a pharmaceutical company to decide to locate in Willingborough, NJ, which would bring to the community 800 jobs. It took a lot of negotiations, some hand holding, giving personal tours to the representatives of the company and explaining why they should locate in Willingborough. It was a major undertaking and they have located in a vacant mall, which was beginning to look abandoned. Now it would be very easy to attract other tenants to the mall.

Member Kramer asked what his approach would be to increasing outreach in the community and citizen participation in government?

Mr. Bonaparte saw it first as the Manager’s role in working with the Council and being a representative for the government. He said Novi’s Council is part time and looked to the Manager to manage the day to day responsibilities. In that role the Manager can also represent the organization along with the Mayor and the Council. Therefore, it would be to get out in the community and become involved with the Rotary organization and the Chamber organization. This would give him a sense of the organization as well as the community.

He said he knew the Mayor had Saturday sessions with citizens and felt it was important to balance the Council’s interaction and the Manager’s role as the appointed person. He felt the Manager’s role was important in helping to motivate people to have a sense of community. In Willingborough the Manager not only served as the Chief Administration Officer but also the Chief Executive Officer. Therefore, there are a number of commissions with eight people on the commission with four appointed by Mayor and Council and four appointed by the Manager. It is one way the Manager can help get citizen participation.

Member Kramer asked how he would go about creating, supporting and encouraging innovation and initiative in his administration?

Mr. Bonaparte said we can not simply do what we used to do better, quicker and faster. We have to rethink what we are doing and that is where innovation comes along. He thought it was important for the Manager to set a tone that is innovative. It goes hand in hand with empowering the employees, coming up with new ideas and working with

employees on the front line to see if there are different or better ways. Then encouraging them to come forward with their ideas supporting that and working with them.

Member Crawford asked what his experience was with budget preparation, dealing with the media, human resources and computer experience?

Mr. Bonaparte said as a Manager he was responsible for preparing the budget for the Mayor and the Council. Several months prior to his deadline he sets a deadline for his staff after meeting with the directors and setting forth the perimeters in terms of the upcoming year and what to expect in terms of revenue and any new initiatives. Then provide them an opportunity to prepare a budget with what they think they need for the current and future operations of their department. Those budgets are then submitted to him and he reviews them and meets with each director individually to go over it to make sure he understands what they are proposing. He then goes through the process of what he would allow and what he would cut. Then he would be able to defend his decisions to Council.

Mr. Bonapart said four print medias cover Willingborough and sometimes they get the televised media. As a result he meets individually with the reporters as they come on to establish good rapport with them. He said it was important to answer their questions, when possible, to the fullest knowledge that he has and return their calls promptly because it served a mutual interest. One, it allows them to get the facts straight and secondly it allows the City to get the information.

Mr. Bonaparte said regarding Human Resources the Manager might be many things but he is not the person who is actually providing the service to the residents. Therefore, it is important to establish a climate with the employees where they felt valued and felt they were treated fairly. In Glen Arden he worked with the Council and developed a personnel manual that set forth the guidelines so that it was not whatever someone happened to remember the last time something similar happened.

Mr. Bonaparte said he had a computer but was not a computer whiz. He knew how to use spreadsheets and a number of the programs and knew how to use the Internet.

Member Crawford asked what his co-workers would say about him?

Mr. Bonaparte said they would say he was fair. When he went to Willingborough there was a very contentious relationship between the Management and the employees. Even to the point that the prior Manager had employees picket against her outside on the streets because they felt that she had lied to them and there were deep-seated feelings that they could not trust what management said. He worked very hard to change that.

Member Crawford asked how he felt about residency for city employees from the City Manager all the way down?

Mr. Bonaparte said he saw benefits to it. If you want to attract people there has to be a good housing stock and good living conditions and Novi had both. He felt in Novi’s situation it would make a lot of sense.

Member Csordas asked about his five months in 1988 as an entrepreneur and what he learned from it?

Mr. Bonaparte said he was in transition at the time. He took some time to develop a work plan for something that was in the capitol that he was able to acquire and he started his own business and enjoyed it. An opportunity came along to go back into City Management and he decided that it was what he really wanted to do. During the time as an entrepreneur he had to get a business license from the local government and he was on the outside at that point. He said he would not say he had a different view towards work ethic but when out there hustling on your own and the only dollars that come in are the ones that you create, it is a little different than sitting back in the office. He said when he went to get his license and he saw people that should have appreciated what they had, it made him more sensitive to those that do business with governments.

Member Csordas asked why he was considering leaving his current position and why was he applying for this position?

Mr. Bonaparte said he wanted to be the City Manager of Novi because it is one of the best opportunities in the state. He has been looking at Michigan because his wife is from Grand Rapids.

Member Csordas said there are a few significant newsworthy issues facing this City Council and the City of Novi. What do you consider to be the most important and challenging of these issues and why?

Mr. Bonaparte said he knew the lawsuit was of supreme importance and was being appealed so he did not know how much of the Manager’s time would be tied up in that. He thought the Manager and staff would have to focus on traffic and development.

Member Csordas asked what his first goal and objective would be and why?

Mr. Bonaparte said it would be to find out what the Mayor and Council saw as the role of the Manager and what their priorities were. He thought the communications between the Manager and the Council had to be extremely forthright, candid and exact.

Member Csordas said Novi’s build out is anticipated to be in the year 2020 and asked what his build out philosophy was regarding a developing community like Novi?

Mr. Bonaparte said he would have to first find out what the Mayor, Council and residents were thinking about build out.

Member DeRoche asked how he would motivate his staff?

Mr. Bonaparte said individually because motivation depends on the individual. He said he would find out what might motivate them. The people should know that the Management and Council are concerned about the employee and want them to have a good work environment and that they are valued.

Member DeRoche asked what motivated him?

Mr. Bonaparte said getting the job done.

Member DeRoche asked him to tell Council about a time when his performance did not meet his expectations and what he learned as a result?

Mr. Bonaparte said there was a situation when he was a Manager at Glen Arden. He had met with the Mayor and there was a Human Resources department that did counseling. The department had received a grant and they were using some of the grant for additional salary. Their explanation was that they were putting in additional time. Mr. Bonaparte and the Mayor met with the director to get a better understanding of that. After the meeting Mr. Bonaparte and the Mayor decided there were better uses for the money other than salary. The decision was made to reduce their salary with the start of the next budget. He had intended to share that information with the Department Director and through procrastination did not before it went into effect. He had an irate department when they found out their salaries had been adjusted to what they had been before the grant. Mr. Bonaparte said he should have been much more forthright with it.

He learned that even when there is bad news it is better to confront it and deal with the consequences instead of waiting for the opportune time.

Member DeRoche asked how he would instill confidence in the Council and the citizens so that he would be a positive agent of change?

Mr. Bonaparte said there is an old adage in City Management that when you take on a new role for the first three months you do nothing. You intake and absorb and then do something drastic. He thought when the Manager is new he needed to understand and sense from the Council, community, citizens and staff what changes are needed.

Mr. Bonaparte said building confidence in change is a gradual process. He thought the Managers had to prove themselves to the Mayor, Council and the staff. The staff has to know that the change has been thought through and the person making the change is committed to doing things well. Then people will be willing to accept the change even if they are not sure it would work out.

Mayor Clark asked what he thought it took to be a success as City Manager?

Mr. Bonaparte said the Manager’s role is to support the Mayor and Council and the Manager’s role is to be sure that the direction, policies and the initiatives that Council undertakes are fulfilled and followed through. If the Manager is successful then the Mayor and the Council is successful.

Mayor Clark asked what his major personal and professional qualifications were to be Manager of the City of Novi?

Mr. Bonaparte said first is interpersonal skills. He believed a Manager had to bring people together and work together with a wide variety of diverse people and he felt his interpersonal skills would enable him to be a good representative for Novi.

Mr. Bonaparte said he was extremely impressed by Novi and the Mayor and Council. He felt Council’s questions demonstrated they were very serious about this and he knew Council viewed this as their real opportunity to assist in the further development of this City by who is selected as the next Manager. He said he would like to be that person. He believed he had the skills, attributes, ability and the guts to do the job

working with Council as a team, following their lead and fulfilling the desire that Council believed were in the best interest of this community.

Mr. Murphy said he had been in the profession for the last 25 years in communities from 10,000 to 72,000 people and with budgets from $1 million to $55 million. He believed he could bring extensive experience to the community and would welcome the opportunity.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if he had implemented or initiated any human resource or departmental policies that have saved the city or county money or has provided greater efficiency?

Mr. Murphy said when he went to the City of Harrisburg they were still using pen and ink to record their expenditures, a 25 or 30 year old NCR bookkeeping machine for their payroll, NCR machine to bill for water, sewer, incinerator and trash. They are now using an IBM 3385 with virtual reality and storage, payroll, accounts payable and budgets have been computerized. A credit manager was hired to bring down the 30% delinquency in utility bills to 8%. The Public Works Department was reorganized and the entire middle management level of supervisors was replaced and after his three years they have not had to raise taxes.

Mr. Murphy said in Clifton, NJ they have just finished putting the City on network. They expect to be able to track all complaints that come in and would give them an instantaneous status report if needed and would track it from the point of complaint to the point of disposition.

Mr. Murphy said in Clifton they saw a 1/6^th decrease in the number of employees and still did the job they had done before. This came about because Council was opposed to raising taxes and was not concerned with the consequences.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked what he thought was a good policy statement or policy in terms of effective Risk Management?

Mr. Murphy said a very aggressive employee safety program with active involvement of all levels of supervision, tracking Workers Comp abuse. Taking corrective action that curbs and sidewalks are repaired because they can generate a lot of lawsuits or claims.

He said they could either go the self-insurance route or the traditional indemnity route. The most important thing was to make sure that you are keeping track of all of the situations that increase the risk and doing something about it.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked when he empowered an employee and the employee’s decision resulted or contributed to either a financial loss for the City, embarrassing situation or less than quality development projects, what would he do? Are there any consequences?

Mr. Murphy said it would depend at what level that decision took place. If the decision took place without the involvement and consultation with management, the City Manager and Council he would say the consequences would be significant. He said empowerment not only meant taking the initiative but also keeping everyone else informed. The consequences, depending on the nature of how the decision came about or what kinds of unnecessary risks were taken, could be all the way up to termination.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if the Mayor or a Council Member shared information with him that could be relevant to a future decision, would he share the information with Council or would he expect the Mayor or Council Member who shared the information to do so?

Mr. Murphy said his usual procedure was to inform all members of Council through a written document. He would advise the individual of this so they would not be surprised when they saw the memorandum that summarized their point of view.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if the City is the unsuccessful party in a lawsuit and the media calls for a response and you have not briefed the Council, how would you respond to the media?

Mr. Murphy said his response would be that the matter needed to be discussed with the Mayor and City Council and then he would get back to them.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if there was an allegation of sexual harassment within a department how would he approach the situation and if there was sufficient evidence would there be any consequences?

Mr. Murphy said he had handled three sexual harassment complaints. He would talk to the employee and get as much information as possible. Then discuss it with Council and legal counsel and then confront the person against whom the claim was made. He would investigate the claim and then if it was determined that the harasser was guilty it would result in a suspension for the first offense. If it was a second or third time, it would result in termination.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if the department heads should be aware of these situations and if they are unaware should there be any discipline for the department head?

Mr. Murphy said all levels of supervision should be aware of what the City policy is and what the procedure should be. He felt it was better if the individual came directly to the

City Manager. There needed to be a very organized aggressive policy and procedure on how these things are to be prevented as well as addressed if they occur.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if potentially contaminating materials were illegally dumped on City property by City employees how would he approach the situation and would there be any consequences?

Mr. Murphy said he would question whether there were procedures on where the material was supposed to be taken, were there legally recognized sites for disposal and had the department and the City issued enough information to let the employee know what the proper procedure was. If the person had ignored the procedures then termination would be the answer.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked what aspects of the City Manager position did he think he would enjoy most?

Mr. Murphy said he enjoyed implementing new ideas to improve delivery of service, employee performance and getting the job done better and achieving the goals that the Council has set.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked what he would least enjoy?

Mr. Murphy said he least enjoyed having to confront employees who were not doing a good job because it revealed too many weaknesses in the organization.

Mayor Pro Tem Lorenzo asked if he had any business or professional relationships with anyone who works for or is a public official in Novi at this time?

Mr. Murphy said he did not.

Member Bononi asked what he considered to be the critical components of customer service and how would he implement these components as City Manager?

Mr. Murphy said the most critical element is employee attitude. Sometimes it is almost like they think the citizens’ work for them. The biggest problem is getting the employees to understand that they are in the service business. Each office has to determine what service they provide, how to go about doing it and what is the attitude about providing that service to the citizens. Then employee training programs were needed.

Member Bononi asked what his greatest municipal accomplishment was that had positive environmental implications?

Mr. Murphy said it was the incinerator in the City of Harrisburg. They were using landfills to dispose of their garbage and trash. The City Council made the decision to build an 800-ton per day incinerator. The environmental effects are very positive because in that particular area of the state there were also earth environmental problems. The turn around time from pick up to drop off and back again was very short and reduced the amount of cost for maintaining the trucks. They were able to put the garbage trucks on a four-year replacement cycle.

Member Bononi asked how he would define the concept of smart growth and apply it to the City of Novi?

Mr. Murphy said first is a Master Plan that maps out where to go and how to get there.

He said Novi seemed to have a good balance between commerce, residential and industry. Also, Novi has tremendous pressures because of the two interstates and a

four-lane state highway. He said every request for development had to be carefully weighed to determine whether it would have negative impacts on the schools, traffic, growth in the city staff and if it would minimize the tax burden load.

Member Bononi said as City Manager you receive repeated complaints from citizens about selective enforcement of Ordinances; the Ordinances are clear. What is your response?

Mr. Murphy said if talking about nuisance complaints, they should be enforced with uniformity across the board with no exceptions. If talking about motor vehicle and parking violations, then he thought it was the nature of the business but he would try to get it cleared up.

Member Bononi asked if he was approached by a landowner who wanted the City to purchase his property but you have not been directed to seek property acquisitions and the property owner presses you to commit to his proposal, what would you do?

Mr. Murphy said he would never make that commitment on behalf of the City without Council’s approval and he would tell the individual that. Then he would inform Council and ask for their input.

Ms. Gronlund asked if he was to become the next City Manager of Novi, what did he believe would be his most challenging undertaking and how would he go about the process of achieving a goal?

Mr. Murphy thought development would be the number one issue. He would find out what the development and zoning procedures were, what was in mind for the next five years and if Council desired that the community continue to grow. After finding out what Council wanted, procedures would be reviewed to achieve what they wanted done. Second appeared to be traffic on Novi Road and he thought it would be a very expensive undertaking and would probably involve the Public Works Department, engineering and the traffic engineer providing advice on how to solve the problem.

Ms. Gronlund asked if she were to ask the people that knew him best both personally and professionally to describe him in three words, what words would they use and why?

Mr. Murphy said workaholic, demanding and high expectations. He said he has high expectations for his performance and for the people who work with him and for him and he wanted them to have the same drive and energy brought to the job that he did. He gives 150% and expected 150% and because of these high expectations he would push and encourage employees to achieve his expectations.

Ms. Gronlund asked what work ethic and integrity meant to him?

Mr. Murphy said it meant giving all to the person you are working for and integrity meant being above question.

Member Kramer asked for a brief synopsis of his education and professional background and that he focus on areas that would directly relate to being a City Manager for the City of Novi?

Mr. Murphy said his education was in Liberal Arts and was a pre-law diplomatic service oriented education. He went part-time to the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public International Affairs for a few years. He took a lot of courses at Rutgers University such as grievance arbitration, binding interest arbitration, labor negotiations, personnel management, etc. He has attended the conferences of the International City Managers and National Public Employers Labor Relations Association.

Member Kramer said his current position was in Howell and asked why he was seeking employment in Novi?

Mr. Murphy said when he went to Howell he knew the town had a bad track record when it came to City Managers. He was the sixth in six years. This was a community that was at war with itself. Half of the political structure wanted unlimited development and the other half wanted no development at all and neither expectation is realistic. He later learned that only two people had been re-elected to office in the last 20 years. It is a community that is changing and most of the residents work in New York City. He said until Howell made a decision on how to manage the growth they would remain in turmoil. He was no longer there because there was a change in Council and three new members were elected.

Member Kramer asked what his greatest accomplishment was and why?

Mr. Murphy thought Harrisburg was his greatest accomplishment because of all the new changes that were made as he said previously. He provided them with their first profit and loss statement. The job got done with 800 employees instead of 1,100.

Member Kramer asked what his approach would be to increasing outreach in the community and increasing citizen participation in government?

Mr. Murphy said citizen participation was to use the citizens as often as possible on various boards and to use them as taskforce groups. He said the communities he had worked in community outreach had to do with dealing with neighborhood problems that were long standing and difficult to solve. They formed a Neighborhood Community Group whose job it was to help him help them.

Member Kramer asked how he would encourage and support innovation and initiative within his administration?

Mr. Murphy said a lot depended on the staff. He said innovation was one of his strong points and he liked to see things done quicker, easier and still provide accountability.

Member Crawford asked how he dealt with the news media?

Mr. Murphy said it is one of those necessary evils. He thought the media should be dealt with on a very cautious basis. Their mission and your mission are not in the same

world. Their goal is to get headlines and sell newspapers and are in the business of marketing their product. He said we are in the business of providing service. They are always looking for the bad side of everything. He has dealt with them, got along with them but kept them at arms length.

Member Crawford asked what his co-workers think about him?

Mr. Murphy said demanding. They would feel that he expected more than they should have to do. He said he is providing consulting assistance for a small community in south Jersey and they would say he had a low tolerance for errors and excuses.

Member Csordas asked where Calhoun County was?

Mr. Murphy said it was in the middle off the state at Interstate 94 directly north of Kentucky.

Member Csordas said Calhoun County is not in Kentucky.

Mr. Murphy said no, it is directly north of it.

Member Csordas asked why his papers said Calhoun County Michigan?

Mr. Murphy said that is where it is but if you take a straight line south you will find yourself going towards Kentucky which is where a lot of these people came from. He said it is the same county as Battle Creek.

Member Csordas asked what took him there?

Mr. Murphy said there was no particular reason.

Member Csordas asked what he did there?

Mr. Murphy said he was supposed to be the County Administrator Comptroller. He said there were 13 Wards and the year he was there 10 of the 13 lost re-election and the County Clerk decided that statutorily he should be the Administrator.

Member Csordas asked where he was when he reduced health care premiums

by 30%?

Mr. Murphy said it was in Cranford. He said the community was with Blue Cross/Blue Shield and the premiums had risen sharply in the 80’s and continued to rise until 1988. At the same time, the service was going the opposite way. The employees came to him and said they were unhappy and asked him to do something. He brought in a person who specialized in health insurance benefits and put together a plan that increased the employee’s financial participation, made changes in the prescription program and as a result saw significant drop in the premiums.

Member Csordas said there are a few significant newsworthy issues facing this City Council and the City of Novi. What do you consider to be the most important issue and why?

Mr. Murphy said he did not know what the issues were.

Member Csordas asked what his first goal and objective would be and why?

Mr. Murphy said his first responsibility is to become familiar with the organization, the services it provides and how it is organized. Second, would be to become familiar with Michigan law. Third, would be to meet with each member of Council to find out what they wanted to accomplish over the next 12 to 18 months. Fourth, would be to meet with as many leaders of civic organizations as possible to look over the development procedures, what does the Master Plan call for, how do you expand the water systems and is it self sufficient and getting a handle on the financial arrangements in Michigan.

He would also want to meet with each of the department heads to find out who they are, what they do, what their problems are and what they would like to see accomplished and what things should have been done but have not been done. Finally, he would spend a lot of time going back and reading the newspapers, minutes and driving around the community and observing.

Member Csordas asked if a City Manager should live in the City?

Mr. Murphy said absolutely.

Member DeRoche asked how he would motivate his staff?

Mr. Murphy said one of the primary roles of the City Manager is to be a coach and a teacher. It is a time consuming aspect but he thought he had to know people well enough to see the problems and coach as to how it should be done and be a teacher. It would be primarily with the internal staff and department heads, initially, but eventually it would filter. Also, the City Manager is supposed to develop people on his staff who have the ability to take his place so that the City leadership continues and the Council continues to be supported in the way that they want to be.

Member DeRoche asked what motivated him?

Mr. Murphy said challenges motivated him and he really enjoyed his profession. He enjoyed working with the citizens, Council and employees.

Member DeRoche asked him to tell Council about a time when his performance did not meet his expectations and what he learned from it?

Mr. Murphy said it had taken him a while to be patient. It is one thing to set high expectations for yourself and for your staff, it is another to exercise a sufficient amount of patience to develop and grow.

Mayor Clark asked what he considered to be the most important factor for someone to be a successful City Manager?

Mr. Murphy said good interpersonal skills and fairness.

Mayor Clark asked what his major personal and professional qualities were that he would bring to the City of Novi if selected City Manager?

Mr. Murphy said broad, in depth experience, a good working knowledge of personnel management, budgetary and financial affairs and labor negotiations.

Mr. Murphy asked if development was a major issue in Novi?

Mayor Clark said it was one of the issues and a rather hot one. Also traffic and a few financial problems as well.

Mr. Murphy said it seems to be a problem common to a lot of cities in Michigan the way your tax is structured.

Mr. Murphy said he would welcome the opportunity to be Novi’s City Manager and believed he would bring with him extensive experience. He said it looked like an extremely healthy community and one that wanted to go places. He felt he would be a great assistance in that regard.

Richard J. Clark, Mayor Tonni L. Bartholomew, City Clerk

______________________________

Transcribed by: Charlene McLean

Date approved: February 28, 2000