Abee committed to community involvement: Second administrator candidate plans hands-off approach to leadership
|
Although he doesn?t come with any ?freaky buttons? city employees need to know about, he did present a stern warning.
?If you don?t want community involvement, don?t hire Glenn,? said Abee. ?I will get the community involved. I?m a firm believer in getting community involvement.?
Another area Abee believes strongly in is continued education.
?It doesn?t matter what kind of seminar or lecture you attend, it?s never a waste of time,? said Abee. ?I?ll continue my education even at my own expense.?
Not only will Abee continue to educate himself, if he is given the city administrator position, he will encourage city employees to continue their education as well. It?s never a waste of time, as long as they bring value back with them, Abee said.
He considers himself ?old school? when asked about his management technique.
?I will be more hands-off,? said Abee. ?I won?t micro-manage. I will monitor and review. I?m very harmonious.?
According to Abee, he will not be looking to reorganize the city departments as he?s not sure it will be necessary.
?I?m going to be more of a student,? said Abee. ?I want to learn the policies and procedures you have in place today. I want more history of this community and how things interact. Whether departments need reorganizing, that?s not something I can answer today because I don?t know if it?s necessary.?
As for the motivating factor behind why Abee chose to apply for McMinnville?s city administrator opening and what his interest in McMinnville could be, he says, ?I?m a believer in quality-of-life issues. I want to find out what there is to do in this community. I want to know why you live here. What is there to do in Warren County? I want to make a positive contribution to McMinnville.?
The last interview in this round of city administrator interviews is with Donald W. Whitman on Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. at McMinnville City Hall. After Whitman?s interview has been completed, elected officials will discuss the possibility of inviting applicants back for a second interview.