Compton’s Weak Hiring Process Has Not Ensured That Key Staff Are Qualified to Perform Their Duties

engineer in February 2020, Compton did not assign an individual to formally fill the role of interim or temporary city engineer for more than two years, a gap that likely contributed to the city not adequately planning for or completing key infrastructure projects, as we describe earlier. Further, in the absence of a succession plan, the loss of institutional knowledge hinders current and future staff from acquiring the essential information they will need to effectively perform the duties of their predecessors. For example, the current chief deputy indicated that a proper transition of knowledge and duties did not occur when a chief deputy city attorney retired after many years with the city. She indicated that the retiring employee did not formally communicate with appropriate colleagues about all of the position’s responsibilities, including those related to ongoing legal workload, leaving staff less prepared to assume the duties. Ultimately, the absence of a succession plan in combination with the city’s lack of continuous leadership has impaired Compton’s ability to function effectively.

Compton’s Weak Hiring Process Has Not Ensured That Key Staff Are Qualified to Perform Their Duties

Compton’s high turnover in the city manager position has likely been caused in part by the inconsistent hiring methods it has used. The hiring guidelines for this position are extremely vague. According to Compton’s municipal code, the city manager shall be appointed by the city council wholly on the basis of administrative and executive ability and qualifications. The city charter contains a similarly vague provision. However, the city council has neither established minimum qualifications nor specified how it will evaluate qualifications, such as through an open, competitive process. In fact, the city council has in at least one instance appointed a permanent city manager without conducting an open, competitive hiring process to identify the most qualified individual. Further, when hiring the other city managers who have served since 2016, the city either appointed individuals to serve in an interim role or could not provide sufficient documentation detailing how it had evaluated applicants and selected the most qualified candidate.

Compton has also faced consequences for appointing a permanent city manager from among its existing staff without using a rigorous hiring process. In 2019 the city council appointed Compton’s city attorney to the role of city manager without conducting a competitive hiring process or documenting and formally evaluating his qualifications for managing a city. During his tenure, this city manager, with the approval of city council, reorganized several departments and created staff positions allegedly without meaningfully negotiating with an employee union, according to a complaint the union filed. His actions led to legal disputes and likely contributed to prolonged vacancies in some leadership positions affected by the reorganization, such as the community development director and the human resources director. In July 2021, the city council voted not to extend this city manager’s contract, which expired that same month. Although several council members had cited the time or cost of conducting a competitive recruitment as reasons for appointing this city manager without pursuing such a recruitment, the significance of the position and Compton’s history of city manager turnover suggest that using a rigorous hiring process is nevertheless essential for the city.