FERGUSON TOWNSHIP — Township leaders have launched a nationwide search to replace manager Mark Kunkle, who is retiring from the position in late May after 32 years.
The board of supervisors set a target to hire a new manager by June, said board chairman Stephen Miller, who characterized it as a “fairly aggressive schedule.”
“We’re definitely hoping to have someone hired” by the time Kunkle departs, Miller said, adding that the person may not actually be on the job that quickly depending on factors such as having to give notice to another employer.
The successful candidate will have big shoes to fill, Miller said.
Kunkle is “an excellent manager and brings a knowledge of the township from 32 years of experience — you can’t replace that,” he said.
“We’re really financially in very solid shape and have been as long as I’ve been involved, due to his leadership and very careful budgeting.”
While Kunkle is retiring from the township manager position, he is not calling it a career. Kunkle said he has another job lined up, although he declined to discuss it at this time.
“I’m just thinking that it’s time for a change — a few less night meetings, hopefully,” he said.
His last day in the office will be Friday, May 26.
Kunkle told the board late last year of his plans to retire, Miller said.
The next town manager will need a “certain degree of experience” and the ability to work with “a really broad range of people and roles,” from residents to township staff to board members, Miller said.
CONSULTANT HIRED
The township has hired GovHR USA, an executive recruitment firm based in the Chicago area, to help with the search.
The firm’s consultant has already met with some residents chosen by township supervisors to get input on what the township should be looking for in its next manager.
The manager position will be advertised both nationally and regionally. Miller said he is expecting “plenty of local interest.”
There are some advantages to having a candidate with local knowledge who is experienced with Pennsylvania municipal law, he said, but the credentials a national candidate might bring also are appealing.
The consultant will do the initial screening, with a smaller number being interviewed by the board of supervisors and meeting with senior staff, Miller said.
While details of the hiring process were still being worked out with the consultant, Miller said he also anticipated more public input before a candidate is chosen.
The starting salary range is up to $110,000, depending on qualifications and experience, and full salary range extends to $124,200, according to a posting for the position on GovHR USA’s jobs board. The posting lists an application deadline of Friday, March 24.
The posting notes that the township has about 68 employees and a budget of about $20 million.
MANAGING GROWTH
The township has seen an enormous amount of growth since Kunkle became manager in 1985, but he has done an excellent job of balancing that growth with the community’s rural component, Miller said.
While the township had the capacity to absorb rapid growth for a couple of decades, in the past decade more attention has been focused on limiting the areas of town that can be developed, Kunkle said. Managing growth going forward is going to be a key challenge for township leaders, he added.
“It will take some very careful planning and thinking from a development and financial standpoint,” he said.
Kunkle said he is proud to have worked with a staff of dedicated professionals.
“A lot of things that have been accomplished in the township to their credit,” adding that he has also worked with some “terrific elected officials.”
He credited term limits in the township with giving more citizens the opportunity to participate in representative government.
Asked to look back on his proudest achievements in the position, Kunkle spoke of his role in helping establish Tom Tudek Memorial Park in the 1990s.
Kunkle worked with Robert and Elsie Tudek, who gifted land for the park in honor of their late son, Tom. The township worked with the state to acquire additional land in what is now an 89-acre park that features community gardens, a dog park, a play area with equipment, a basketball court, pavilions, tennis courts, a 1.3-mile perimeter path and baseball and soccer fields. The Tom Tudek Memorial Trust helps support the park.
Kunkle also noted the township’s 2016 ranking by Niche.com as the third-best place to live in Pennsylvania, and the 12th best in the United States.
That Pennsylvania ranking is also noted in the township’s job posting.
JOB QUALIFICATIONS
According to the posting, the position requires a master’s degree in public administration, public policy or a related field and five years “of progressively responsible municipal experience in a community of similar size and complexity, including town-gown experience, or any equivalent combination of education and experience that would demonstrate the skills and abilities to perform the work.” Additionally, “candidates must have the proven ability to establish and maintain strong working relationships and possess knowledge of public personnel and finance methods and procedures. Experience with managing growth and navigating the public conversation related to balancing growth is highly desired. Ability to express ideas effectively in written and oral form is also required. Familiarity with the Pennsylvania laws that govern municipalities is highly desired.”
