At a special meeting held on Tuesday afternoon, the Alliance City Council voted to offer the job of Alliance City Manager to Jeff Hecksel.
Council members conducted interviews with Hecksel and Jim Thomas on Thursday to narrow down the search. Hecksel, who is currently the County Manager for Hood River County, Ore., has had more than 34 years of experience working for four different municipalities.
The motion to offer the position to Hecksel was made by Council Member John McGhehey with a compensation package of at least $125,000, in addition to benefits, also giving Mayor Mike Dafney and Finance Director Randy Waggener to negotiate a deal with Hecksel. The agreement would not be binding before it appeared before council again.
“After our last meeting, I decided to make some phone calls,” said McGhehey. “I think one of our concerns is that he’s got kind of a quiet personality and didn’t come off as real dynamic, or real outgoing. Mayor Dafney shared some comments that Chelsie Herian, our BBDC Director, also said that he was pretty quiet in a tour. So, I decided to follow up.”
McGhehey said he spoke with a couple of professional references for Hecksel, who agreed that he is quiet, but emphasized his leadership skills and integrity.
Vice Mayor Brian Mischnick was the only council member to vote against the motion.
“I just couldn’t bring myself to get comfortable with him,” Mischnick said. “I got about 80 percent there. I feel, a little bit, like we’re making this decision a little bit out of fear and not enough applicants. I think there’s a good chance that Hecksel’s going to have some success, I just can’t quite get on board with it.”