by Ken Wagstaff –
by Ken Wagstaff – I was Mayor when the City of Davis hired Jim Antonen to be City Manager.
Here is what the Vanguard printed:
“Mayor Joe Krovoza learned his lessons from history, back when the Council hired Jim Antonen. He said that the council made their three finalists known publicly, the top two candidates backed out and the council was forced, in a sense, to hire Jim Antonen, a move that they apparently did not want to make and did not work out.”
It is correct that the Council in late 2001 or early 2002 made its top three candidates known publicly. We had a reception for these three and got useful feedback. But your version, that two of these three bowed out and we were left having to hire Antonen, is not true. Actually, as I recall only one bowed out.
We were not “forced, in a sense” to hire Antonen. We could have called others back for another look. We chose not to. We unanimously decided in closed session to offer Antonen the job.
You say, apparently quoting Mayor Joe Krovoza, that hiring Jim Antonen was “a move that they (the Council) apparently did not want to make and did not work out.”
Wrong on both counts. Again, my recollection refutes the notion that we “did not want to make” the hire. Therefore the conclusion that hiring Antonen “did not work out”, because the Council did not really want to do it, is misplaced. It implies that the hiring process was somehow flawed and this was why Antonen left after a relatively short tenure.
This conclusion is off the mark.
First, as I said, the process was not flawed.
Second, the conclusion is simplistic on its face. Antonen had a decent start in the few months that I was still on the Council. Over the ensuing months, however, things apparently changed. I had the impression that the basic chemistry between Antonen and the Council began to erode, to the point that an eventual parting of the ways was mutually desired.
Ken, Please accept my apology for getting this wrong. Each of these processes is highly unique, information flows unevenly, etc. For these reasons and more, only those directly involved will know the story best… and even then it can be like the blind man touching the elephant. I should have checked with you; thanks for correcting the record. Joe
Jim was not the best CM the city has had over the last 35 + years… nor was he the worst… he is a good man. I wish him well.
Thanks for the clarification Ken…