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Hurm a finalist for city manager position
Austin city administrator a finalist in Urbandale, Iowa
Published Thursday, April 23, 2009
Austin City Administrator Jim Hurm is a finalist for a city manager position in Urbandale, Iowa.
According to the City of Urbandale Web site, Hurm is one of five finalist candidates from a pool of about 65 applicants.
Hurm will interview Monday, May 4 with the Urbandale mayor and city council, two management teams and a Citizen’s Advisory Committee. The city will have a “Meet and Greet” event for the public May 4 as well.
Hurm has served as the Austin city administrator since 2003. His prior experience includes: executive director, Siouxland Interstate Metropolitan Planning Council, 2001-03; consultant, Shorewood, Minn., 2000; city administrator, City of Hales Corners, Wis., 1982-91; city administrator, City of Tracy, Minn., 1979-82; and legislative assistant, Iowa Congressman Mike Blouin, Washington, D.C., 1975-78.
Hurm holds a DPA from Hamline University; an MPA from Northern Illinois University; and a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Loras Collage.
A native of Lansing, Iowa, Hurm was a finalist for a city administrator position in Rosemount, Minn. last summer.
Hurm said Thursday he has no comment, but that he was encouraged to apply for the position because he is an Iowa native.
Other candidates for the Urbandale position include: A.J. Johnson, city manager of Muscatine, Iowa; Cara Pavlicek, interim department manager of Village of Oak Park, Ill; John Pick, city manager of the City of Salisbury, Md.; and Timothy Zisoff, city manager of Indianola, Iowa.
According to the Des Moines Register, Urbandale City Manager Robert Layton left Urbandale at the end of January to take the same position in Wichita, Kan.
Urbandale is a city of approximately 38,000 people in central Iowa near Des Moines. It was named one of the Top 100 Best Places to Live by CNN Money in 2008.
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Comments
Posted by factorfiction (anonymous) on April 23, 2009 at 10:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
we can only hope
Posted by ALYLESTUD (anonymous) on April 23, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Pray he gets it!!!
Posted by ericjohnsonia (anonymous) on April 23, 2009 at 11:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
come on Guys. One of the reasons I left Austin was to go to a town that was ran right. I now live in Urbandale. I am going to have to do some fast talking. Sorry, you can keep him and Wilson!!
Posted by ALYLESTUD (anonymous) on April 23, 2009 at 1:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
crap!!!!!!!
Posted by factorfiction (anonymous) on April 23, 2009 at 5:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Eric, maybe this is a sign that it's time for you to move back! You know you have friends here that love and miss you baby!!! I'll even help you find a place to live! Offer them a bribe to take em, PLEASE!!!
Posted by AUSTINPEACE (anonymous) on April 23, 2009 at 5:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How bad is it in Urbandale if they actually want that tool?
Posted by curiousobserver (anonymous) on April 23, 2009 at 9:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe they want Raskin too. She is still haunting us....Offer them a buy one-get one free!!
Posted by ericjohnsonia (anonymous) on April 24, 2009 at 8:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Urbandale is like Mayberry. I love living in Urbandale. no need to lock your doors. You know who lives next to you. Go into shops and they remember your name. Housing is good. Business is good. Fire and Police are the greatest. I cant say enough good about Urbandale. I already wrote an email to the Mayor and he responded already. Please send that guy North not south. Canada might want him.
Posted by Aletheia_Kratos (anonymous) on April 24, 2009 at 9:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I certainly know the well publicized difficulties with Wilson and Raskin, but Hurm is a "beneath the radar" player. Why is there so much vitriol about him.
His resume looks good. The city staff that it appears Hurm is directly responsible for seem well managed (City Clerks desk, etc.). The public works office seems well run and we have one of the best financial managers I have seen in public office.
In prior news stories it appears that Hurm was the force behind the Main Street Project's creation. That effort continues to make a difference downtown even after the County tore down three blocks and another block burned.
He also manages the HRA - a position that used to be a fully staffed and salaried position until Hurm took it over as part of his duties. From all accounts that organization is run well.
Hurm was the first to step forward and decline his contractual raise when the city was notified of LGA cuts. A move that gained him the respect of many (especially in light of the fact that the County board voted to give themselves a raise at about the same time).
Finally, we operate under a system where the Council manages the city and Hurm is simply the administrator. As a result, the Administrator doesn't have the authority to do or stop doing many of the things people would judge him for. That comes from the Council and no where else.
In other words, Hurm operates at a level that very few constituents would ever interact. Policy is set by others. Department heads are not under his direct supervision. Instead, he is largely charged with carrying out the directives of the council and dealing with the routine and mundane parts of the operations of government.
So, I am wondering what causes people to make such personal attacks against a public employee for whom most - including this writer - have very little understanding of how well or how poorly he performs his limited job.
Posted by Rhino (anonymous) on April 24, 2009 at 2:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm with Kratos.... Some of you need to explain your postings.
Posted by IJ (anonymous) on April 24, 2009 at 8:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Urbandale should just be thankful they don't have fire fighters like austin has... ones who are more interested in being malcontents, and complaining about their jobs than fighting fires!! If I were Hurm or Wilson I'd jump in a heartbeat!!
Posted by cooper (anonymous) on April 25, 2009 at 4:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
IJ Once again you have proven that you have no idea how the Austin Fire Department works. You continue to bad mouth the men working to keep you safe. I am tired of you bad mouthing these men some of whom are good friends of mine. They are far from the malcontents and complainers that you think that they are. Everyone of them would do what they had to do to save you or anyone else in this town! I Find it interesting that an article about Hurm turns into an opportunity for IJ to run down our fire department!
Posted by Aletheia_Kratos (anonymous) on April 27, 2009 at 7:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The city is not building the jail. Please explain how an administrator of the city offices is responsible for the "over-cost jail".
Someone suggested earlier that this thread is an inappropriate place to air the fire department laundry. Please explain why you think this is an appropriate place to talk about the fire department and how a city administrator is responsible for the fire department or Mr. Wilson. In our system, the administrator is not the boss of the Fire Chief.
Posted by ruserious (anonymous) on April 27, 2009 at 9:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Around the beginning of the year didn't the (part-time) fire department schedule get approved behind the backs of the city council. Didn't Hurm have something to do with that. I thought so.
Posted by Aletheia_Kratos (anonymous) on April 28, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't think you have your facts right. But I do see your bias.
Posted by ruserious (anonymous) on April 28, 2009 at 2:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
AK- I gto my information from a quote by Mayor Stiehm and an ADH article dated Jan.6,2009. The following is an excerpt:
Wilson explained he was “directed to change the schedule effective Jan. 1,” but would not reveal who gave him the directive.
Stiehm confirmed that “city administrator (Jim Hurm)” gave Wilson the order.
Now you're going to tell me Stiehm lied. That would never happen.
Posted by Aletheia_Kratos (anonymous) on April 29, 2009 at 6:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
R U Serious?
First, be skeptical about relying on "facts" reported in certain papers. Second be skeptical about relying on "facts" provided by certain elected officials who have a long pattern of displaying a less than complete grasp on the facts. Third, in an environment where everyone is looking for a scapegoat to blame, be very skeptical of accepting just one person's explanation as to who is responsible. Fourth, never, ever, trust a certain paper to correctly report facts allegedly given them by a certain elected official about who to blame in a scapegoating incident.
Finally, always trust the actual facts. The city administrator in Austin does not have the authority to direct much of anything to the Fire Chief - especially not how he staffs his own firehouse. In fact, the Administrator doesn't direct anyone about anything. He carries out the directions of the council. For reference I refer you to section 2.08 of the City's Charter. You can find it on line at http://www.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/M...
Once you have read the charter and the ordinances of the city, you will never again have to rely on the paper or the mayor to tell you who told who to do what. You will already know who is responsible.
Posted by ruserious (anonymous) on April 29, 2009 at 6:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
AK-it is quite interesting how you pick and choose on when to rely on the "facts" that the ADH reports. In another blog you cite evidence written by the paper to prove your point yet it is not pertinent in this situation. ????
As far as Stiehm-wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him so thank you for making my point.
Posted by Aletheia_Kratos (anonymous) on April 30, 2009 at 9:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The facts that I relied on from prior news reports were verified by me from other sources and were consistent with both logic and the rest of the facts.
The facts relied on by you are from a man you admit you wouldn't trust farther than you could throw him and are in direct conflict with the city's charter and organizational structure.
Glad to see that you point is proven - that is if your point was that you never really had a point. That sir is proven in spades.
I still await all the name callers and insulters to state their case about why they dislike this public servant. I am not saying there is not a case to be made, I do not know. But I am certain that no one here has made a case that he deserves the treatment he received here early on.
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