More than 600 people tuned into video sharing platforms Wednesday to see if Durango’s two city manager finalists have what it takes to help lead the city.
City Council plans to discuss – and possibly decide – on a new leader Friday.
“Council’s decision will be a very difficult decision, obviously,” said Durango Mayor Dean Brookie. “We anticipate the information we received from tonight’s meeting will help inform that decision.”
Amber Blake, Durango’s interim city manager, and Jose Madrigal, a government consultant and interim sewer manager from Texas, have already gone through interviews with City Council and staff members.
City Council arranged a virtual meet-and-greet session Wednesday with the finalists, in which the candidates were peppered with questions from residents and community “stakeholders.”
“It was a grand experiment in public engagement in the time of COVID,” Brookie said. “It came off fairly smoothly.”
Each finalist answered questions for 90 minutes. Each session was divided into two parts, one for representatives of community stakeholder groups, such as Visit Durango and the Durango Business Improvement District. The other part featured questions from the general public.
Most of the stakeholder questions centered around the local economy, future development and balancing diverse needs with limited resources.
There were about 43 community submissions, totaling about 80 questions. Those questions differed for each finalist. The moderator, Bob Slavin with Slavin Management Consultants, pulled questions at random from a bowl.
Almost all of the questions directed at Madrigal revolved around climate change and the environment. Blake received more varied questions focusing on funding allocation, city management and sustainability.
The city manager is one of the most important positions in city government, reporting directly to City Council and managing a staff of hundreds spread over diverse departments. It has been 10 months since Durango had a permanent manager.
When it came to the local economy, the public wanted to know how the new city manager would navigate competing priorities, the coronavirus pandemic and long-term planning.
The La Plata County Economic Development Alliance asked about long-term planning and the city’s economic investments, considering tight budgets and competing priorities.
The economic pillars of a community, like tourism or entertainment, can vary depending on the “community charm and community character,” Madrigal said. He said he would reach out to local groups to see what their needs and expectations are.
“It’s making sure that every party that’s doing economic development is on the same page,” Madrigal said. “For the strategic plan, we’re all pulling the rope in the same direction.”
One challenge he saw was affordable housing availability, particularly for young professionals.
Blake also said the city needs a strategic plan to navigate economic growth and to identify the most efficient ways to spend taxpayer dollars. She also focused on investing in a diverse economy, remote worker opportunities, affordable housing and transportation.
Visit Durango asked about balancing the city’s need for tourism with local residents’ fear that more tourism increases exposure to the coronavirus.
Madrigal said he would meet with local community groups to learn more about the challenges they’re facing. He talked about balancing occupancy rates with safety so businesses could be successful and viral transmission would stay low. He also mentioned partnering with public health agencies and investing in public educational outreach.
Blake said Visit Durango has “adjusted fabulously” to the pandemic and emphasized marketing Durango’s outdoor amenities to tourists. Because Visit Durango also faces a funding shortfall because of the pandemic, community partnerships are even more important.
“We need to be able to respond appropriately so we can continue to ensure that our tourist economy remains viable and thriving,” Blake said.
Several community members asked the finalists about what they would do to help the city “finally” meet its environmental sustainability goals outlined in a 2015 action plan and 2019 resolution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Madrigal first focused on researching what is in the plans and getting background on the city’s progress, or lack thereof.
“When you have plans where people don’t see movement, it’s a lot of times maybe the loop wasn’t closed,” Madrigal said, referencing possible broken communication lines. “I’m not exactly sure again what it is in this scenario, not knowing the familiarity with the plans.”
When asked if he would improve on the city’s current emission reduction goals, Madrigal said he would seek data that gauges the community’s needs and use of existing green-energy resources, like electric vehicle charging stations.
Both finalists reminded the public that it is council’s responsibility to adopt policies that prioritize environmental sustainability.
Blake focused on what the city was already doing. She said as city manager, it would be her role to focus on the action plan with staff members and to work with community partners, like the Sustainability Working Group, on the plan’s goals. She mentioned work that the city is doing to be more sustainable, like increasing the efficiency of city facilities, testing electronic police vehicles and researching efficient vehicles for the city’s transportation services.
“This is a challenge, but it’s not something that we can’t overcome,” Blake said.
As an out-of-state finalist, Madrigal focused on learning Durango’s inner workings during the first 100 days as manager, if hired. Blake, who has worked in Durango for 11 years, relied on her existing knowledge of city projects during the session.
The candidates had different visions for the city’s future.
Madrigal envisioned a Durango that is a model of sound financial governance and resiliency as it emerges from the COVID-19 crisis, one that has research-based plans to guide future development.
Blake focused on the city’s current projects. For example, she envisioned a pedestrian-oriented corridor connecting north Main Avenue and downtown Durango and creating a strategic plan that would guide the city’s growth in the future.
Madrigal’s approach to management focused on community relations and supporting staff members. He described a team of city representatives that he would form to increase the city’s representation at community events. He said he prioritizes staff development and hires employees based on qualifications and compatible values.
“As a manager, if you don’t know what your employee wants to be, what their career aspirations are ... that’s a blind spot,” Madrigal said.
If the City Council is divided, as is often the case with Durango City Council, Madrigal said it is the manager’s job to listen for commonalities. Divisiveness often comes up because people are looking at the same topic through different lenses, he said.
“We have to make sure, as a staff and specifically me as a city manager, that I understand why that lens is different and that I make sure I’m helping them through the process,” Madrigal said.
Blake was not asked the same question, but encouraged council unity in her closing remarks.
If hired, Blake said she would focus on providing services and managing the budget. She said one of her strong points would be her interpersonal communication skills and experience with crises, like COVID-19 and wildfire response. She focused on giving staff members the resources they need to provide good recommendations to the council.
“It’s my responsibility to ensure that the staff is supported in showing the recommendation,” Blake said. “Then it’s my responsibility to advise council ... if I feel that, by not taking staff’s recommendations, they would be getting themselves into trouble.”
smullane@durangoherald.com
