From Great Bend City Administrator Brandon Anderson (July 30)...
To the Citizens of Great Bend,
Thank you for welcoming me to your community and allowing me to serve as your City Administrator for the last year. Great Bend has many things to be proud of and many positive things happening, and I wish the City of Great Bend and Barton County the best of luck as I move on.
I have been asked, by a few, questions like “Who made you mad?” or “What did you not like about the job?” to all these inquiries I can quickly and confidently answer “no one” and “not a thing”. The Council has been good to work with and our Department Heads and City Staff are second to none in the cities I have worked in. I simply have had some changes in my personal life and am selfishly following a path to happiness for myself. Life is short, I encourage each of you to find the happiness in your life and ponder more on it than we do the negative in our lives. I promise you it will change your outlook.
Working in city government is not easy at times and takes a special kind of staff to be able to allow the negative comments to roll off their backs and move forward positively and confidently. If I had any further advice to give it would be to always endeavor to be a part of the solution, to often we are quick to judge or make short snappy judgements before we see the whole picture. As a city we all need to understand we are all in this together. The City Council and City Staff work diligently for the Taxpayer with the budget set by the Council to be wisely spent by Department Heads in the most judicious manner. With the inflation of the last couple of years it creates a considerable amount of pressure to make the right decision with the limited funds available.
That leads me to my final comments. Shortly after I resigned the mayor started the process of discussing the City of Great Bend’s options as they work to seamlessly replace me. I have 2 comments on the process. First, I have had the chance to work closely with Logan Burns and see the respect this community gives him, and I also see the effort he puts in daily because of his love for this community and that is why I advised the Mayor and Council that if they wanted my opinion they should quickly and confidently turn the City Administrator role over to him. Secondly, concerning the assumptions made by a Councilmember recently in the Tribune and the Post. I have worked with many council members in the past and most of them understand their role as policy makers for the community and support the city wholeheartedly. Most of you also know what happens when you assume. I am not privy to the conversation that happened in executive session, and neither is this council member as he was not present in that room just like I was not. This council has options it can take and should and will consider at their next meeting. For the good of the city having some due diligence ready and prepared for whatever direction the council takes is smart. And if any actions in preparation have occurred then that effort should be appreciated.
In closing I would offer a bit of city policy, “It is the policy of the City to fill vacancies in supervisory, skilled or upper-level positions with current employees whenever possible; however, the city reserves the right to seek candidates from outside of the organization to ensure the hiring of the most qualified candidate”. Under this policy, promoting the current Assistant City Administrator is one of, if not the preferred, option if the City Council chooses this path. We just advertised and recruited for this position just one year ago and hiring a search firm would be costly to the taxpayers.
Respectfully,
Brandon Anderson
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On Friday, July 26, Great Bend City Council member Davis Jimenez submitted this article...
"I wanted to share my thoughts regarding the recent event of the resignation of the Great Bend City Administrator and some possible promotion decisions within our city.
In 2023, the city contracted a group to find qualified applicants to be the city administrator. Recently, the current administrator submitted his resignation, with his last day to be in August. There has been discussion on how the position will be filled without opening it for people to apply. I believe this position should be opened to the public.
Hire a group to find the city qualified applicants like we have done in the past. The mayor believes the position should be given to someone without going through the application and interview process. I have nothing against anyone that wants the position, but I believe opening the position to the public is a fair way to make sure we do not miss or overlook any candidates that are qualified and have worked hard for an opportunity like this. If we open this position and find a qualified person, I will support it 100%.
I was also informed that some sort of decision has been made and a contract has been drafted.
I want to continue to see our city be great and one way to do so is to provide an open, fair and motivating culture that benefits everyone. Transparency is something that is always talked about and promised, so why is it that most have no idea this will happen soon?
Due to my requirements with the United States Army, I will not be present at the next city council meeting and wanted to voice my beliefs."
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Last week, Great Bend City Administrator Brandon Anderson submitted his resignation, giving the city a 30-day notice. Hired last summer, Anderson’s stay with the city was just over a year. He had a chance to publicly address the Great Bend City Council at Monday's meeting for the first time stating the decision was based on personal reasons.
"On a personal note, I'd like to thank the council, city staff and citizens of Great Bend," said Anderson. "I apologize my stint here was short, but I also have come to believe that life is short. COVID taught me that many things can easily be taken away."
Anderson’s final day with the city will be Aug. 9. Prior to coming to Great Bend, Anderson spent 27 years in Texas, including his last stop as city manager for the City of Levelland, Texas.
"Thanks again for making my short stint here very rewarding," added Anderson.
Assistant City Administrator Logan Burns served as interim administrator from December 2022 to July 2023 prior to Anderson’s official start. The council will discuss Anderson's replacement at the meeting on Aug. 5.