Jessie Is Leaving Us! So What's Next?

By now, everyone in Bedford knows the surprise announcement of last week that our Bedford Town Manager Jessie Levine has made a decision to leave us. When she started the job in 2012, she didn't know the direction that her personal life was going to take. But now that the unexpected has happened, I'm delighted that she's smart enough to know that no job is worth the loss of personal happiness, and life is too short to not fill it as much as possible with people who are important to you.

Jessie came to town as a skilled and experienced professional, and she quickly started to tackle problems that had been allowed to fester for too long. She never lacked diplomacy in all in which she was involved, but she nevertheless became recognized as someone who wasn't going to be a "yes" person because it might be the easier path, but was able and willing to state her case, and back it up with data and without flinching. She sought accord, but realistically recognized that her decisions would not make everybody happy all of the time. She led without being a bully, and she offered and facilitated solutions without ignoring the thoughts of any faction. We have not always had that here in our town.

Jessie is a smart, talented, and forward-thinking professional, and Bedford is a better place for having had her here. I personally will miss her, and as a resident, I bemoan losing her. But, I wish her godspeed in all of her personal and professional future endeavors. And I thank her for all of the positive energy, enthusiasm, and ideas that she brought to town. Her new employers will not regret making our loss their gain.

So Now What???

I've got to tell you, I truly am worried about what will go on in coming weeks as the Town Council grapples with deciding who will be the next Bedford town manager.

It's truly hard to forget the prolonged activities of last year that were involved in a search for a town manager. To say that a lot of things were handled badly is a very mild statement to describe the doings.

We hear that the Council is now considering again engaging the services of MRI to conduct a nationwide search, as they have before. I have nothing against MRI, and I'm confident that the people affiliated with it are good and able people. But really . . . do we truly need a lengthy, costly, and multi-tiered endeavor to hire a talented and qualified person to be the next town manager? I do not think that we do.

People who work in high-level municipal positions have a strong network with active and timely communications. By now, it's just about guaranteed that these professionals throughout the northeast and even beyond already know that a position is opening up in Bedford, particularly since Jessie is well-known and respected in those circles, and has been an active participant for years in their professional organizations. If any of them have an interest in possibly coming to Bedford, they're probably already making inquiries about the town. And do we need to entertain a scenario in which we'll be relocating our next town manager from California, or Texas, or Ohio, or wherever? I do not think that we do. There's much to be said for hiring a manager who has knowledge of our region, our town, and our people - - -someone who won't spend his or her first year or longer on the job learning about us or about what we look for in town government here in Bedford.

I read in somebody's Patch blog a comment from a local resident who thinks that a former Bedford town manager (name deleted here) should be rehired. I completely disagree. That person chose what he believed to be greener pastures a long time ago. It is not our concern that he may now regard Bedford as the greenest pasture after all. And to be blunt, his lasting legacy in Bedford is not exactly one that a lot of us would like to see revived. While he definitely had his fans, I also remember a lot of legitimate detractors.

Five of our six current Council members have deep knowledge of this town, its issues, its challenges, its finances, its future needs, and the prevalent sentiments of its residents and taxpayers. We've got a lot going on right now that merits their undivided attention. It is not in our best interest that they repeat the foibles and missteps that occurred the last time that they were faced with deciding who would be the highest-ranking town employee. It's also not in our best interests that outside entities greatly influence whom is the right choice for us when it comes to a town manager.

The Council now needs to act in a way that will bring about a seamless transition from one town manager to another, and they need to do it without spending months on the effort. And no matter how you cut it, hiring MRI or any other consultant will involve a longer passage of time before a transition can take place.

The answer to the dilemma may be right under their noses. It will be interesting to see if they are savvy enough to recognize that, or if they will embark on another convoluted and tortuous road to the finish line. I hope that God will protect us from the confusion and repercussions of that. 

Now is the chance for the Town Council to show its mettle. I'm hoping that its members will.