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To assist in the hiring of a new City Administrator, Gaylord’s City Council recently agreed to work with The Brimeyer Group, Inc., a search consultant firm from Hopkins.

Gaylord has been without a City Administrator since late July when Lonny Johnson filed a separation of employment agreement with the City. Johnson had been Gaylord’s City Administrator since 2001.

According to Acting City Administrator Lori Waltz, The Brimeyer Group will help the City Council throughout the hiring process. The firm has quoted the City a price of $17,500 for completing the assignment.

The City of Arlington also used The Brimeyer Group to assist in hiring its new City Administrator Matthew Jaunich.

“It was well worth the investment,” Arlington Mayor Jim Kreft said. “[The Brimeyer Group] handles a lot of the leg work and the process went smoothly.”

Like Gaylord, the City of Arlington has “a lot of things going on,” according to Kreft. By hiring The Brimeyer Group, City business could move forward during the process of pinpointing a suitable City Administrator candidate, he explained.

Kreft said Jaunich assumed his City Administrator position on Tuesday. The Delano native was previously the City Administrator at Hector.

According to a time line provided by The Brimeyer Group, Gaylord is scheduled to have a new City Administrator on board by January 1, 2008.

A representative from The Brimeyer Group met with members of Gaylord’s City Council this week, according to Waltz. The first objective is to develop a position profile that describes the community and the City Administrator position.

The Brimeyer Group has informed the City that Jim Brimeyer will spend a day or two in Gaylord. During this time, he plans to meet with the Mayor, council members, City department heads, and representatives from boards and commissions. He also plans to meet with community leaders such as the school superintendent, the Chamber of Commerce Director, or any prominent leaders the Council wishes to include in the process.

After a position profile is created through interviews with city officials, The Brimeyer Group will begin recruiting candidates. According to the suggested time line, this is expected to take place in mid-October.

The Brimeyer Group will screen and review candidates before the City selects a group of finalists for the position. Reference and credential checks are then conducted by The Brimeyer Group before interviews which are planned for mid-December.