Don't limit manager search

Today is Auburn city manager John Salomone's last day at city hall. While the city council named capital improvement program director Michael Long as the interim city manager by a 4-1 vote last week, it looks clear that the process of finding a permanent manager, whether it is Long or not, is going to take a long time #- largely because Mayor Timothy Lattimore seems so entrenched in his views on what should be done.

Instead of being a consensus builder, one of the jobs of being mayor, he is trying to dictate. He seems to ignore the other members of the council, some who don't necessarily agree with him, not because they are “playing politics,” a charge he likes to hurl when his views are disagreed with, but because they may, oddly enough, have views different from his.

While Lattimore may not like getting advice from others, especially the media, as he said at last Thursday's meeting, he might want to get used to it #- or at least be mindful that the other members of the city council may want community input. If you watched any of last week's council session, it is clear that the mayor seems to have made up his mind that he not only wants someone local to be the next city manager, but from his comments, demeanor and general tone, he has the person picked out.