ckennedy

SAULT STE. MARIE, Michigan – Last week Travel Michigan/MEDC held a strategic planning work session in Sault Ste. Marie–one of many being held across the state this summer.

Fueled by the success of the Pure Michigan campaign, the updated strategic plan will extend five years to 2017. The vision statement for the planning sessions is: “Michigan is one of America’s favorite four seasons travel experiences.” (Remember, this is the vision statement for workgroup purposes, not a campaign tagline.) The session in Sault Ste. Marie proved to have good turnout, but more impressively, the participants were all highly experienced and passionate individuals from the travel industry and related stakeholders.

Tourism has long been one of the state’s top three industries and is on the uptick. Cities and villages are absolutely key stakehodlers in this economic driver, so if you don’t have one of these meetings on your calendar yet, it’s not too late and there is no fee. You can find 10 more meeting locations and dates by going to this website and then clicking on Industry Meeting Registration. (But hurry, the next one is July 18!).

The process is one of group participation. The vision statement has eight “goal themes.” Participants are divided into groups by these goal themes, and the task of each group is to identify objectives for each goal, and strategies to achieve the objectives. Sault Ste. Marie worked on six of the eight goals, and by the session’s end, it was clear they were tying together. I anticipate the end result will provide very clear direction. The more municipal voices at the table, the more influence you have on shaping this important policy. Let’s keep the momentum going!

Caroline Kennedy is manager of field operations for the Michigan Municipal League. She can be reached at ckennedy@mml.org.

Three new communities recently engaged the Michigan Municipal League for executive searches for city/village managers. These are the Village of Spring Lake (2,514) on the southwestern side of the Lower Peninsula; Essexville (3,766) in the “thumb” area and Iron River (pop. 3,386) in the Upper Peninsula.

The Michigan Municipal League has performed about 200 executive searches for Michigan’s public sector since 1998.

Some smart tips for a smooth process and successful placement:

The League can provide wage/salary data for comparable positions based on population, geography and other factors. Elected officials should use this, along with their budget, to firmly determine what salary range they may offer upfront for a candidate that meets their desired criterion.
Severance has become more of a sticking point due to the housing market (which has increased risk for the candidate). The League can provide severance samples. Elected officials should reach consensus prior to selection of the final candidate as to what they may be willing to provide.
Timeliness is perhaps the most critical factor in a search. Delayed deliberations may result in the loss of one or more top candidates. Be prepared to make timely decisions and keep your eye on the goal!

Lowell Mayor Jim Hodges had this to say about a search we did in his commununity, “The recruitment process was perfect! You have a proven plan for finding candidates, presenting them to our City Council and letting the chips fall as they may. I am still amazed that we came to such an easy decision, not just with our selected candidate, but also the other finalists. The time-table of events went quickly, the process was clean and direct, simple for our Council to follow and we all feel good about the selection.”

If you’d like to learn more about the Michigan Municipal League executive searches, Caroline Kennedy, Manager of Field Operations at (906) 428-0100 (direct) or (734) 669-6324 or ckennedy@mml.org. We’re here when you need us.