NLV tries to fill Importuna’s shoes

Diana Sahagun

Thursday, March 2, 2000 | 11:14 a.m.

With North Las Vegas City Manager Pat Importuna's resignation official, council members are now facing the task of how to fill his shoes.

At a meeting before Wednesday night's regular City Council meeting, council members expressed their frustration over how best to conduct the search. Following the meeting, Importuna, who announced on Feb. 10 his plans to quit, made the resignation official.

The city will pay Importuna's $135,000 annual salary and benefits until July 11, although he will leave the city starting May 18 and use accrued vacation time and sick leave.

Most of the members agreed that a national search is unnecessary but were unable to come to a unanimous decision on how to proceed.

Councilman John Rhodes called for a change from the "head hunter" approach of conducting a national search. In 1998 the city spent about $20,000 to recruit a city manager only to hire Importuna, who was already deputy city manager.

"I would like to utilize some of the talent we have in our local community," Rhodes said. He then made a motion to form a committee made up of citizens who would go through the evaluation process and make a recommendation to the council.

Councilwoman Shari Buck said she supported a committee but for different reasons. Buck said she believed information was being withheld and filtered to her by other council members.

"I want the opportunity to hear every name on the list," she said, adding that outside resources could help with the process.

Buck told Mayor Michael Montandon she believed applications had already been received and dismissed without her input, a claim he denied.

Montandon and Councilwoman Stephanie Smith both voted against looking for an outside committee.

Montandon said an outside committee was unnecessary because the responsibility lies directly with the council.

"I am not willing to look for a scapegoat to pass our decision on," he said.

Smith was worried that if an outside committee is established, the members would be teetering on the rules of the open meeting law. "I don't need to appoint someone to do my job," she said.

Councilman William Robinson called the disagreement among council members "petty," and said there is no rush to begin the search. "We need to take the time to get someone who doesn't quit on us. We need to ask them how long they are going to stay," Robinson said.