Today's Question: How Will You Hire Great People and Still Balance the City's Budget?

The eight Pleasant Hill City Council candidates met earlier this month to give their views on issues facing the city, and to answer why they would be the best choice to fill the three vacant seats in November. Pleasant Hill Patch was there to record the action.

But we want to hear what you think about these issues. So once a day, we’ll post a question, provide the candidates’ answers, and ask you what you think about those issues. This is your city, and your Patch. Weigh in with your point of view.

What would you do to make sure the city hires the best employees and at the same time keeps the budget balanced?

Matthew Rinn:
We have a healthy reserve, our services are well maintained, and our quality of life is pretty good. Yet it feels like we're attacking our workers. It's a thankless job. No one goes out and says "thanks for keeping gutters clear." We need to attact qualified police officers, who are well trained, from outside the area. The way you solve the problem is growing the business community and growing your revenues. We already have a great staff.

Jessica Braverman:
You get what you pay for. We’re in tought times, and I understand looking at a salary and saying “gosh, you make $200,000,” but if you just get rid of that person, there’s a learning curve, there’s going to be a period where the new person has to get up to speed. I say keep the people you have, and ask them to adjust. There are other ways to be competitive besides money. I did a survey of people in the workplace, and asked why people stayed in their job. The number one answer was not money, it was recognition. Besides, I'm an optimist, and I think times are getting better.

Jeremy Cloward:
Fortunately, every other town is in the same boat. I don’t’ think we’re moving out of the recession. It’s an employers market right now. It's easy to attract people to work here. It's truly a great down, a good place to be. I’m quite sure my sister’s husband, who is a police officer in Richmond, would be happy to come here and be a police officer in Pleasant Hill.

Jim Bonato:
What is fair? That’s what we need to take a look at, the regional area, the level of responsibility, the scope of the duties. We need to have rates that are competitive with other regional local agencies. We could structure from that.

Tim Flaherty:
Our city manager is well paid but she's one of teh most qualified city managers in Contra Costa County. She’s also the Finance Director, the HR Director, and the Director of Public Works. If we hire a less expensive city manager we will have to replace those other positions, and will be a lot more money out of pocket. The marketplace is evening out and we’ll have to rise to that.

Mike Flake:
You can get people at lower prices right now. I’ve hired poeple recently. We offer them less than what we paid six years ago. I think management salaries are excessive. We have a police chief and city attorney vacancy. We should perhaps get someone cheaper than before. I'm not asking Pleasant Hill to take cuts in terms of line staff, but I am asking that of management staff.

Ken Carlson:
The mangement class needs to be looked at. Cuts there would not remove us from the marketplace to bring in talented people. I don’t’ see that as being the issue. We all have to make cuts whether it's public employees or business owners. I think we can be competitive and still decrease the salaries and benefit packages.

David Durant:
Of course we have to compete in the marketplace. Prices are still high. This is one of the highest-cost places to live and yet you have to find a way to attract people. It's also about the quality of work, envirionment of where people are working. Five of the city's top wage earners are gone as of 2010. We’ve done a good job of lowering costs.

Those are the candidates’ thoughts. What do you think?