City Manager: TNT treats candidates harshly

Re: “Will Tacoma’s next city manager be a downgrade?” (TNT, 5/10).

As the recruiter for Tacoma’s city manager search in 2011 and today, I was saddened by the tenor of recent News Tribune coverage. Instead of focusing on what the finalists can bring to Tacoma, the first article began with the negative and carried it through to the point where it noted Linda Graham and Robert Cowell had not gotten every job they ever applied for. Really?

In this business, unless you are Dallas or Phoenix, a recruiter seeks out potential. It is important to remember the credentials of former City Manager T.C. Broadnax today are not the same as they were when he was hired. He grew into the position and became the type of individual Dallas sought.

This is an outstanding group of candidates, and Tacoma will be well served by whoever it selects to be its next city manager.

(Baenziger is the principal at recruiting firm Colin Baenziger & Associates.)

This story was originally published May 15, 2017 at 6:43 PM with the headline "City Manager: TNT treats candidates harshly."