Jakubiak interviews for city administrator
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?I just have to ask if this is what the citizens and elected officials want,? said Jakubiak. ?I do have to admit that I only read the headline, because I don?t subscribe to the local paper.?
After being reassured by city officials that a city administrator is needed and the opinion expressed in the newspaper is not the opinion of the board, Jakubiak explained his apprehension.
?No city administrator wants to come to a community if they are not welcomed in that community,? said Jakubiak. ?Anyone would have hesitancy to pick up and move, if that is the case.?
During the interview, Jakubiak was asked the same questions as David Rutherford, who interviewed Friday. The questions were once again asked by Mayor Royce Davenport.
?Do you have any business that would share your attention with the city of McMinnville?? Davenport said.
?I am a musician as a hobby,? said Jakubiak. ?I?m very much into bluegrass music and I play a five-finger banjo. It?s one of my passions. I teach and give instruction. I produce instruction CDs. I do donate a lot of time to this, but it acts as a release for me and I do keep this separate from my professional life. People have asked me to bring my banjo to work and I have politely told them no.?
The remaining questions were mostly about how he would react to situations that may arise in the city.
Although it would not be a problem for Jakubiak to fire a department head, he says he doesn?t expect to fire any. ?After looking around the city today, I have seen a lot of longevity. These people have been around awhile and apparently they are doing something right,? said Jakubiak. ?I have been put in that situation before and I don?t see a problem doing it again, if the situation warrants that type of action.?
As for his managing style, Jakubiak said he does not intent to micro-manage.
?I have had that done to me, even down to how many spaces I put after a period,? Jakubiak said. ?I won?t micro-manage. I will work closely with the department heads by maintaining an open-door policy.?
Jakubiak did say he doesn?t have much patience for procrastination.
?When it comes to management ability,? said Jakubiak, ?I have to work on my patience. I get a little impatient when something is not done in a timely manner, or when something is just not getting done.?
Could he handle not being liked by everyone?
?In this career, the one thing you have to have is thick skin,? said Jakubiak. ?You are never going to please everybody. If someone calls because they are angry with an ordinance that I?ve carried out, I will take as much time as needed to explain the reasons behind the ordinance. Hopefully, citizens understand that my job as city administrator will be to carry out policies that are directed by the council, which those people elected.?
After starting work full time, how long would it be before he reorganized the departments?
?It would be unwise of me to come in and start reorganizing right away,? said Jakubiak. ?When I was in Palm Beach, they had five-day-a-week trash pickup at the back door. If I came in and reduced that number to three, I wouldn?t be there long. The community wanted that five-day-a-week pickup. I used to joke they would pick up your trash and leave a mint. I need to understand the community and what they want before any reorganization happens.?
Like Rutherford, Jakubiak was impressed with downtown renovation and stated, ?It looks good, but I bet it was frustrating. After touring, I?m curious, is the predominate feeling to stay a small town or is it to grow??
Currently there is no word as to when elected officials will make their decision between the two men. If the decision is made not to go with either man, the process of finding a new city administrator will start all over again.