Searches for new personnel continue in city of Calabasas

By Michael Picarella Acorn Staff Writer

The city of Calabasas is expected to have a new city attorney within a week, according to Calabasas Mayor Pro Tem Michael Harrison. The city has been operating with an interim lawyer since June when Charles Vose, the former city attorney, didn’t reapply for his position after the council called for new applicants and for existing officials to reapply. Vose vacated his office.

A search firm, Ralph Anderson and Associates, found candidates for the position, and the council interviewed four of them last week.

Eight firms are being considered, according to Harrison.

Councilmembers also discussed with the search firm the city manager and the chief financial officer positions. The latter is vacant and will replace the previous position of finance director. Former finance director Cindy Borchard resigned in December for a better job.

"We met with our headhunter, Heather Renschler (of Ralph Anderson and Associates), and further defined the scope of responsibilities and the type of person we want for the city manager and what we’re now calling chief financial officer," Harrison said. "We’ve elevated the financial position ... it will be a higher salary range and the responsibilities have also been increased substantially."

Harrison said the CFO will report directly to the city council. The finance director had previously operated through the city manager’s office.

"We will have financial restructuring in the city so that we can ascertain what’s going on," Harrison said. "The accounting needs to be improved drastically. And the reporting needs to be improved so that we have information that we can act upon. For these kinds of changes, (the council) decided that we needed somebody of a higher degree of experience and ability."

Harrison added, "There was nothing wrong with the people we had before. We have a different situation and so we need someone with a little more experience and a little more control and a little more accountability to the council, so we can make better decisions."