By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Kendal Francis is not going far. The Great Bend City Administrator is heading
just over 60 miles to the southeast to Hutchinson, but he’ll be serving as an
administrator for a new town and no longer Great Bend. After more than four
years in Great Bend, Francis’ resignation goes into effect next week as he
begins his role as the Hutchinson City Administrator.
“It’s hard to leave Great Bend,” said Francis. “I have truly enjoyed my time
here. It’s a fantastic community and the people are awesome. That’s not just
platitudes…I truly mean that. It hurts to leave my team. I have a great support
system within the employees.”
Francis became Great Bend City Administrator in July 2018, replacing interim
city administrator George Kolb. After serving as administrator for the City of
Coffeyville for nearly three years, Francis was chosen by Great Bend from 24
applicants.
Francis, a Beloit native, said it can take a couple of years before becoming
completely acclimated with the inner workings of a city.
“A city is very complex, and there are a lot of moving parts,” said Francis. “There
is no handbook that says a city runs this way. You try to understand why things
were done a certain way. There are also legislative changes that force us to do
things differently. I was extremely fortunate to have such a good team around
me.”
During Francis’ evaluation this past September, the Great Bend City Council
voted in favor to give Francis a 2% pay increase. His contract was scheduled through Aug. 5, 2023.
“I had no real intention of looking for a new job,” said Francis. “I was very
happy here. I did feel like, maybe, my time was coming to an end. With some things that were happening, I felt it wouldn’t hurt to keep options open."
Francis knew about the opening in Hutchinson after their former administrator
Jeff Cantrell’s contract was not renewed this past May.
“It has just been within the last three months that I thought the Hutchinson
opportunity was something I needed to pursue,” said Francis. “If it happened…great.
If it doesn’t, that’s great too because I wasn’t truly wanting a different job.
I believe God opened the door for me to take this next step in my career.”
Francis spent nearly 20 years in Beloit with the city’s water and wastewater
department before getting into administration. Francis jokingly said working for
a city government as an administrator, puts you in a situation to eventually
make people mad.
“If you’re doing your job well, some people are going to be mad at you,” said
Francis. “You get to that three- to five-year timeframe, sometimes it’s just a
combination of a lot of things that build up. It’s maybe time for a new perspective.
I truly believe if you’re doing your job correctly, you’re going to make some
people upset. You learn to balance that. The goal is always to do what’s in the
best interest of the organization and community. Sometimes those are hard
choices.”
During his resignation announcement Dec. 5, Francis noted it
was a privilege to help heal a divided community at the time of his arrival in
Great Bend. Former Police Chief Cliff Couch was suspended in 2017 after city
administration claimed Couch did not follow an order. Couch stated former
administrator Howard Partington committed acts of misconduct. Couch later
resigned, and Partington retired following the aftermath.
“I probably didn’t have a true grasp of what really occurred here,” said
Francis. “Maybe I was a little naïve of what I was coming in to, but the
community really went through some pain. My strengths are in citizen engagement
and getting out and talking to people. I think that helped and being
transparent. We understand some things happened in the past but that’s the
past. We’re going to move forward and here’s how we’re going to do it. I believe
the city council was instrumental in that.”
A Kansas State University graduate, Francis received a Master’s Certificate of
Public Administration from KSU in 2011. With nearly 30 years of public service,
Francis looked to the Great Bend City Council for guidance and direction.
“In our case in Great Bend, we have the mayor and eight councilmembers,” said
Francis. “That’s nine distinctly different personalities and viewpoints. You
try to balance that with what our team believes is the best course of action.
Once the council chooses a course of action, my job is to make sure that what
they want accomplished gets accomplished. It’s a lot about communication.”
As far as accomplishments during his four-plus years in Great Bend, Francis was
proud of the sales taxes approved by voters to build a new police station, create
quality of life features and improve the retirement plans for first responders.
Francis was also excited about the addition of artificial turf at the Great
Bend Sports Complex and the numerous grants received to complete street
projects.
“When I think about importance, that will have a lasting value, it really boils
down to people,” said Francis. “I’m proud of the culture change we put into the
organization. We wanted to create an organization that is high performing. You
want employees to be valued, empowered and trusted. To change that mindset,
that’s what I’m going to be most proud of.”
Francis noted his last official day with the City of Great Bend is Jan. 6.
“There are a lot of good, hardworking people in Great Bend with high values,”
said Francis. “The location makes it a regional hub with strong healthcare and
great schools. The town has a good reputation. Great Bend is well thought of.”
Being at the top of the organization for more than four years, Francis noted
some of the challenges facing Great Bend in the future will be infrastructure, an
aging water system and filling jobs.
Francis was officially hired to be the city administrator in Hutchinson on
Dec. 6 following approval by their city council.
“Moving on to Hutchinson is a huge step in my career, but it’s nothing that I
have done. It’s because my team has allowed me to be successful. Hutchinson is
about three times larger as far as staffing. This will challenge my leadership,
and encourage me to grow as a leader.”
On Dec. 19, the Great Bend City Council voted in favor of
naming Assistant City Administrator Logan Burns as interim administrator while
the search for Francis’ replacement is ongoing. The city hired Strategic
Government Resources (SGR) for $18,500 to handle the search for the next
administrator.
“I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish in the last four and a half
years,” said Francis. “I think we have positively impacted the community for
years to come. I also like to think about what Great Bend is going to look like
in a couple of years.”
Listen below to the entire interview with Francis and Eagle Radio's Cole Reif.