New Mexico Central

On Appointments and Administration

by John Weckerle

The agenda for the June 17 Edgewood Town Council meeting contains an agenda item: Appointment of Ms. Karen Mahalick as Town Administrator.  The selection of a Town Administrator has been a controversial issue in Edgewood in the past, and this time around appears likely to follow in that tradition.

Ms. Mahalick currently serves as the Town’s planning and zoning director.  We do not currently have access to information on Ms. Mahalick’s qualifications for the position.  However, we will note that former Town Councilor Chuck Ring, who has been watching this issue closely, has indicated that there are a number of apparent justifications being presented for this appointment (see Chuck’s blog article).  Briefly, these are:

• Ms. Mahalick has agreed to fulfill the duties of both positions.
• She has already been doing so.
• She has also agreed to do so without an increase in pay.
• Being appointed as Administrator would give her the recognition she deserves.

While all of this may be true, not one of these justifications represents a reasonable principal reason for placing anyone in the position of Administrator.  That is not to say that Ms. Mahalick isn’t the right candidate for the job; she may very well be.  However, the selection of a candidate should be based on qualifications and experience first, with the acknowledgement that, if a dedicated and hardworking employee ranks high enough among the candidates, that dedication may be enough to push that candidate to the number one slot.  However, we agree with Mr. Ring and Town resident Bob Steiner, who copied us on a letter to the Council, that the Town should conduct an open recruitment for the position and make an appropriate selection – and again, that may or may not be Ms. Mahalick.

We also agree that under no circumstances should the Town Administrator and P&Z director positions be combined permanently.  This, frankly, has not been working well to on a temporary basis (witness the problems with projects such as the sewer, the animal shelter, and the athletic fields), and it is patently unfair to expect an employee to do two jobs for the salary of one, with no end in sight.  If Ms. Mahalick is to be appointed, whether through a competitive selection or otherwise, it should not be until a replacement for P&Z director has been selected.

Whether she has agreed to it or not, to suggest that Ms. Mahalick be given the position without the attendant change in salary is inappropriate to the exent of being nearly appalling.  Why should Ms. Mahalick be expected to do the job for less than the previous administrator?  At a minimum, she should be paid the average for such a position, with acknowledgement that this is her first municipal Administrator position.  The whole thing smacks of gender discrimination, and the Town should be cognizant of the fact that it could be exposing itself to a significant liability by not paying Ms. Mahalick a salary commensurate with her experience and the demands of the job.

Again, we recommend that the Town conduct a comprehensive recruitment for the position.  If Ms. Mahalick is selected, a recruitment for Ms. Mahalick’s replacement should be initiated immediately, and the selection should be completed before Ms. Mahalick is officially appointed.  And, for the record, all of this should be completed as quickly as it can be done effectively.

Sunday, June 14th, 2009, by John Weckerle and is filed under "Edgewood ". You can leave a response here. Pinging is currently not allowed.