Englewood council moves toward search for next city manager
Council members support preparing an executive-search RFP as City Manager Sean Lewis’ Aug. 31 retirement approaches, but no firm, timeline or interim successor has been selected.
Englewood City Council members backed moving toward an executive-search firm for City Manager Sean Lewis’ replacement Monday, but they did not formally authorize a request for proposals or select a firm. Lewis plans to retire Aug. 31, 2026.
Human Resources Director Sean Weiski told the council that the city’s past practice has been to issue an executive-search RFP. He said he had a draft ready to initiate the process. Mayor Othoniel Sierra said he would contact nearby cities that recently conducted city-manager searches for firm recommendations. The discussion set no deadline for proposals or date for selecting or contracting with a firm.
Council members sought a hands-on role in setting the job description, qualifications and search criteria. They discussed looking beyond deputy city managers and leaders of similarly sized cities to candidates with comparable experience at universities or other institutions. They also wanted to discuss contract provisions and possible exclusions before selecting a candidate. The council did not adopt a procedure for reviewing qualified candidates or finalists.
The council also began planning for an interim manager because a permanent search and related workshops could take time. Members planned to discuss internal candidates and the city’s leadership “bench” at the next Monday meeting. Weiski said the city’s acting-pay policy would allow a qualified employee to temporarily assume the role. No interim candidate had been named or appointed as of July 13.
The council discussed keeping applicants’ identities confidential during the early recruitment stages. Weiski said search firms generally protect applicants’ identities until the pool is narrowed. City Attorney Victoria McDermott said state law requires finalist names to be disclosed at least 14 days before an appointment. The council did not establish when finalists would be identified or whether names would be disclosed earlier.
The discussion followed the council’s earlier decision to delay public succession planning until after an executive session. Staff had identified an executive-search firm, an in-house search and a job-description review as possible options. Monday’s discussion moved the process toward an RFP and interim planning without beginning a public hiring process or naming Lewis’ successor.