The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 108, No. 17 - April 25, 2019
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................15
Classifieds............................4
Calendar of Events.............4
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Entertainment......................6
Legals............................ 12,13
Obituaries.............................2
Pets......................................15
Real Estate................7-10,16
Sports.............................. 5,14
Weekend
Forecast
El Segundo High School Spring
Musical Cast is “All Shook Up”
The ESHS Drama Department will present their Spring Musical “All Shook Up”, which is inspired by and featuring the music of Elvis Presley. The musical is directed by: Mr. Glenn Sidwell, Choreographer:
Ms. Tiffany Maisonet, Vocal Coach: Alissa Klein, Technical Director: Jeff Cason, Asst. Director: Alicia Rivas, and Stage Manager: Spencer Miller. Showtimes are April 25th and 26th at 7:00 PM. and April
27th at 2:00 PM. and 7:00 PM. in the ESHS Performing Arts Center located at 640 Main Street. Tickets are sold at the door for $10.00 and $8.00 w/ASB. The students have been working really hard on
the show so come on out and have a fun evening with the family!! Photo Credit: The Amazing Molly Bercutt, ESHS.
City Council Asks Public for Input
on New City Manager Selection
By Brian Simon
The El Segundo City Council will select
a new city manager early next month with
the retirement of Greg Carpenter in June.
The group started the recruitment process
early with the help of Councilmember
Don Brann, enlisting the services of Bob
Murray & Associates. The initial outreach
resulted in 53 responses, each screened
by the consultant. Ten recommendations
came back to the Council, of which five
were recently city managers. Others were
in director positions. The Council ultimately
narrowed down the applicant list to seven for
more extensive interviews before the end of
this month.
Normally, a city manager selection
happens behind closed doors with no community
input sought as part of the process.
That all changed this month when the
Council held a special townhall meeting
seeking feedback from citizens regarding the
strengths and characteristics desired from a
city manager, along with potential concerns.
Brann described the upcoming hire as “the
most important job the Council has and we
want to get it right.” He likened it to a school
board choosing a new superintendent. Mayor
Pro Tem Carol Pirsztuk told the audience,
“Don’t hold anything back because this is
your town.
Attendance at the meeting was a bit sparse,
with Councilmembers Scot Nicol and Chris
Pimentel unavailable to attend. The vast
majority of public comments came from a
small group of citizens, most of whom are
well-known community business leaders.
The meeting focused on four key questions
delivered by Mayor Drew Boyles. The
first asked, “What should a city manager
know about El Segundo and what is unique
about us as a town? Answers included understanding
the equal importance of both a
Fortune 500 company and a coffee shop (Ron
Swanson); realizing that most of the City
budget comes from business (Lily Craig);
identifying what’s missing and expanding
the business base given our very limited
space (from a new resident only identified
as Mark); helping guide El Segundo as
it transitions with a large number of new
residents (Mona Eisman); and understanding
the unique economic drivers of the airport
and LA Air Force Base as well as getting
ahead of upcoming trends (David Herbst).
Eisman added that “this city is just slow to
do things” and must be “more proactive.”
Swanson echoed about the importance of
understanding the role of LAX. Emphasizing
that she doesn’t feel the community
has come first (or even second in the past),
Eisman described the city manager role as
a leadership position with residents deemed
as important as businesses.
The second question: What qualities and
traits do you feel are important for this person
to possess? Swanson preferred a CEO
type with sales and marketing skills who has
actually signed the front of a check. Eisman
looked to someone open-minded to trying
new ideas and not one who says, “They did
it this way somewhere else.” Herbst called
for someone with a “get-it -done attitude.” A
resident who did not identify herself wanted
a leader with “strong communication skills, a
problem-solver, good listener, decision-maker,
can execute, and thinks on their feet.” Eisman
imagined someone with experience who is
also “the right person to grow with our city.
Craig did not want to see someone come in
who’s “sitting in an office all day.” She added,
“The city manager should not play favorites
[amongst the Council members). Eisman
listed “transparency and ethics” as critical
while Herbst warned, “Don’t settle.” Eisman
pointed to the importance of a leader who
is “very focused on how we define success
for the good of the city and El Segundo.”
The third question: What is the preferred
method of interacting that you want the
city manager to have with the community
and what are the most important topics to
communicate? Ideas included being available
at the farmer’s market quarterly to talk to
citizens (Swanson) and not eating lunch in
the office (Eisman). Pirsztuk addressed the
importance of getting the word out about
Council meeting topics, with Boyles indicat-
See City Council, page 6
Friday
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Saturday
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Sunday
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