BRENT B. BEAN II
WESTFIELD – The Personal Action Committee will report the status of the candidate search for a new City Treasurer tonight to the full City Council.
Greg Kallfa, who has served in that post for nearly three decades, is planning to retire next month. Kallfa was hired 28 years ago to serve as the city’s Collector/Treasurer. Those two positions were separated into independent departments in 1999 when Michael McMahon was hired to serve as the City Collector.
The city wants to hire a new treasurer before Kallfa leaves office, so there will be an overlap to ensure a smooth transition. The post, which has evolved extensively during Kallfa’s tenure in office, requires both a technical skill set, as well as knowledge of the local, state and federal laws regulating municipal finances.
Last night the PAC discussed the hiring process with Assistant Director of Personnel Jeff Krok. The treasurer’s appointment is one of several made directly by the City Council. Other council appointed posts include the city clerk, auditor, purchasing director, an attorney and collector.
Krok said that 17 applicants applied for the position and that a review committee selected eight of those candidates for interviews after a review of the applications.
The review committee includes Krok, City Auditor Deborah Strycharz, Susan Phillips of the Law Department, Paul Pasterczyk, the Longmeadow Finance Director and Kallfa.
Krok said both Kallfa and Pasterczyk have “direct” experience with municipal financial management, with the other review committee members have “indirect” knowledge because of the interaction over financial matters with the treasurer.
“We have selected eight individuals for interviews, some of those candidates have municipal experience, some come from the private sector and some have experience at the state level,” Krok said.
“The review group will start Thursday, interviewing three candidates, then five on Friday,” Krok said.
“We have not decided on the number of candidates we will pass forward to your committee,” Krok said. “Nor have we adopted a ranking system, so we will not rank the nominees.”
The review committee has prepared a list of questions which will be asked to all of the candidates, with individual follow-up questions based upon the individual candidate’s response.
“We will then develop an internal ranking system, but when we pass along those names to the (City) Council, you will receive them without that ranking,” he said. “We can give you that list of questions to you can how we developed our opinions of the candidates.”
PAC Chairman Brent B. Bean II said the timing of the review committee interviews is “perfect” and that he will brief the council members on the next step of the selection process tonight.
Bean said this morning that the selection process is behind the initial plan to have a candidate hired this month to maximize the hand-over process with Kallfa.
“We’re probably a month behind because to took more time posting the position, a couple a weeks long than anticipated, to get a strong field of candidates,” Bean said. “I’m hoping to do the interviews next week and at the next council meeting (Oct. 4) have a recommendation of a nominee for the full council.”
Bean said that if the review committee provides up to three names, the PAC will conduct the interviews in one night, but if the committee forwards four or more names, conduct the interview over two nights.
“We have not hires many people during my tenure, there have been just three appointments over the last 12 years,” Bean said. “But this process worked very well when we hired the purchasing director, so why change the process.”
