Woodstock mayor looks to expand city staff with new executive positions

Woodstock Mayor Mike Turner wants to cut the number of staffers who report directly to City Manager Roscoe Stelford’s office, and so far the plan to do so would add two new executives to the local government’s payroll in a move meant to boost efficiency and strategic planning capability.

The hope is to free Stelford’s focus from managing day-to-day operations, with 10 department heads plus three other staffers overseen by his office now, so he can focus more on developing talent, leadership and long-term visions for the city.

“The concept of having one leader, the city manager, have 13 people report to him directly in a city organizational structure that has not changed in 16 years does not make sense to me. We need to reimagine how we manage our city,” Turner said, adding that he believes Stelford is spread too thin with more than a dozen city leaders under his purview.

The mayor’s proposal involves adding two executives, with plans to initiate the hiring process later this year. So far, other members of the City Council have not raised serious objections to what would amount to the most consequential restructuring of city staff since at least 2005.

“We are at the point right now where [assistant city manager and finance director] Paul [Christensen] and I are looking at how, ultimately, the city could pay for these positions,” Stelford said.

One of the new positions would be called executive director of strategy and planning, an individual who would have staffers such as the municipal departments for human relations, information technology, city planning and building and zoning under his or her umbrella.

The other would be called executive director of business development and would manage the heads of the local departments of economic development, marketing and communications and Woodstock’s businesslike enterprises such as its recreation center and the Opera House.

Each new position would report to the city manager’s office, with the respective department directors under each of the freshly created jobs reporting to the new offices instead of Stelford.

“It’s my belief that while all of our department directors put in [a] good effort and have the best of intentions, a more focused management from a senior leader over common departments, whether strategy and planning or business development, could make us a better performing and more efficient city,” Turner said.

He said wants each new leadership position to be filled by someone outside the current city staff organization.

“I believe we could use an injection of additional ideas from outside our organization,” Turner said, adding that he wants the city to automate more of its processes.

For example, he said, this could be done by making it easier to find information about and participate in city events, staff and council decisions, and as well as revamp how the city and its facilities – particularly the Opera House – are marketed and used, with the goal of bringing more lively experiences to the venue.

Such changes, which also may include centralizing city communications to make them simpler to follow and understand for residents, will require the two new hires to look at adding or modifying software, webpage designs and workflows within city staff, Turner said.

“Our branding, our websites, our customer experience – meaning resident experience – our social media management needs improvement. And that’s the focus,” Turner said.

A vote to approve the creation of the new positions could be taken at a council meeting later this month.