The Pacifica City Council on Nov. 17 unanimously selected Bob Murray & Associates, represented by recruiter Gary Phillips, to manage the city manager search and authorized the city to enter a contract with the firm.

The decision followed presentations from two finalist firms — Bob Murray & Associates and Peckham & McKinney (represented by Tony Dollarbrook) — and a lengthy question-and-answer session in which council members pressed both firms on outreach, candidate qualifications and guarantee terms. Mayor McFlyer said the ad hoc subcommittee (the mayor and Vice Mayor Bowles) had interviewed candidates in October and that the full council should hear the finalists before deciding.

Why it matters: Pacifica is preparing for a long-term city manager hire while some council members noted potential turnover in a year. Council members said they wanted a recruiter who will produce a diverse, well-vetted candidate pool that understands Pacifica’s coastal issues, fiscal challenges and small-city dynamics.

Firm pitches and council questions: Gary Phillips described Bob Murray & Associates’ roughly 25 years of municipal recruitment work, a customized search approach, active social-media outreach and a track record of placing women and people of color. “We start with a listening tour,” Phillips said, describing one-on-one meetings with council, group meetings with department heads and targeted outreach to candidate networks.

Tony Dollarbrook of Peckham & McKinney stressed his firm’s single-point contact model and hands-on role: “With a recruiter with me, I will be doing everything — I’ll be talking with all of you, I’ll be writing the brochure, I’ll be doing the outreach,” he said. He also described a firm practice of charging a reduced fee to redo searches in limited circumstances and cited an example figure of about $17,000 for a replacement effort; Phillips said his firm would redo a search within the first year at no additional professional fee (possibly asking only for reimbursement of hard costs such as ad placements).

On outreach and diversity, both recruiters said they use targeted marketing (professional publications, LinkedIn and municipal job boards), relationships with diversity groups, translation of materials when needed and persistent phone outreach to surface passive candidates. “You can lead a horse to water — you can’t force him to drink,” Dollarbrook said, noting recruiters can’t guarantee outcomes but can maximize outreach to diverse pools. Both firms recommended front-end community surveys and staff engagement sessions to shape the candidate profile.

Public comment: Two members of the public spoke. Sue DeGruis urged the council to prioritize candidates familiar with coastal erosion, transportation constraints and Pacifica’s tourism-driven economy, and asked that outreach respect the city’s distinct culture. Sam Casillas urged caution on timing, observing that council turnover after upcoming elections might warrant hiring an interim manager instead of committing to a long-term appointment now.

Deliberation, motion and vote: Council members said both firms were qualified but several cited Gary Phillips’ proposal and interview performance as the differentiator. Council member Beier moved to select Gary Phillips of Bob Murray & Associates to conduct the recruitment and to authorize the city manager to enter into an agreement; Council member Espinosa seconded. The council voted unanimously to approve the motion and authorize contract execution.

Next steps: The council directed the ad hoc to coordinate individual meetings between the selected recruiter and each council member to collect material for a candidate brochure. The council also agreed to include both a community survey and a staff survey in the outreach plan; any additional survey costs would be handled as an amendment to the agreement if needed. The selected firm indicated it can begin work immediately and provide weekly updates to the council.

The meeting adjourned at 6:54 p.m.