The board’s primary focus was crafting and refining interview questions for candidates vying for the General Manager position. The discussion began with an emphasis on the necessity for candidates to possess relevant utility experience. The board agreed on an opening question designed to assess a candidate’s ability to complete urgent tasks and overcome challenges.

As the board members reviewed subsequent questions, they debated the phrasing to ensure clarity and efficacy. A crucial question involved candidates identifying significant challenges faced by RMLD and proposing strategies to address them. There was consensus that lack of preparation would be a red flag.

The discussion also addressed the candidates’ experience with collective bargaining within a unionized environment, a topic of particular relevance given ongoing contract negotiations with three unions. The board debated the necessity of specifying “challenging” in the question, eventually deciding that the inherent difficulty of negotiations made the adjective redundant. The focus remained on the skills needed to manage operations and budgets effectively in the dynamic energy industry.

In refining the questions, the board highlighted the importance of managing people alongside operations and budgets. They framed a question to encompass these multifaceted responsibilities. The board ultimately decided against including a question on influencing company culture as a primary query but acknowledged it could serve as a follow-up if necessary.

The board also crafted a question to assess candidates’ ability to handle adversity. This aimed to uncover the decision-making processes employed during difficult situations, thus evaluating the candidates’ capacity to make tough and potentially unpopular decisions. Another question asked candidates to reflect on unexpected professional challenges they had faced, requiring them to draw from past experiences.

The final question was intended to close the interview on a personal note, asking candidates to articulate their motivations for applying and to self-assess their qualifications. The board recognized the importance of this question in allowing candidates to effectively convey their strengths and align their vision with the department’s goals.

The board anticipated that each interview would last between 30 to 45 minutes, allowing for a thorough evaluation of the candidates’ capabilities and fit for the position.

In addition to developing interview questions, the board discussed scheduling meetings to gather insights from RMLD employees about their vision for the organization. These sessions aimed to foster open dialogue while remaining cognizant of ongoing union negotiations. The proposal included informal breakfasts with various employee groups, with two board members attending each session to avoid a quorum.

The logistics of these meetings were carefully considered, with discussions on suitable dates and times. It was proposed to hold these gatherings in the morning to accommodate employees’ schedules, with the goal of organizing four sessions. The board settled on specific dates, with one member taking on the responsibility of organizing the meetings to ensure balanced representation across employee groups, including engineering, accounting, and purchasing.

The board emphasized the need for these sessions to be private, creating a comfortable environment for employees to share their thoughts freely. They also discussed the importance of feedback from participants and suggested creating reference sheets for use during discussions, highlighting a structured approach to gathering insights.

The meeting also addressed the timeline for the general manager search process. The board acknowledged the possibility of extending the candidate submission deadline to ensure a sufficient pool of applicants. They recognized the need for flexibility in the recruitment timeline, contingent on the number of candidates received. Discussions included possibly revisiting the existing candidate pool and revising job postings if necessary.