Dempsey urges new way to pick city manager

THE JOB of Dublin city manager, publicly advertised last Friday, is of such importance that it requires a new mechanism to select the right candidate, says Mr Noel Dempsey, Fianna Fail spokesman on the environment.

The Local Appointments Commission (LAC) was "too focused" on the local authority system and needed to "widen its horizons" to ensure that the £70,000 a year post went to someone with "top quality management skills"

preferably from the private sector.

Mr Dempsey said in his experience the LAC tended to opt for those already working "within the system". But the job was so complex it required that the Top Level Appointments Commission of the Civil Service should also be involved.

In its advertisement for a successor to Mr Frank Feely, who retires in May, the LAC said the post "offers an exciting challenge and a unique opportunity ... for a dynamic manager" to develop the city and play a significant part in "enriching the lives" of its citizens. In its own job description for the post, which now has a" seven year term, Dublin Corporation, which has a budget of £330 million and a staff of some 6,400, said it required "a person of vision" who would be innovative, with good skills in negotiation and communication as well as an ability to work in partnership with the elected city council.

Mr John Fitzgerald, the manager of South Dublin County Council, is believed to be the frontrunner for the job. Formerly an assistant city manager in Dublin Corporation, he has been credited with pursuing innovative policies since he moved to south Dublin over two years ago.

Other likely candidates include all three of Mr Feely's deputies - Mr Owen Keegan, housing manager and formerly an economist with Davy Kelleher and McCarthy; Mr Derek Brady, the planning and development manager, and Mr Willie Soffe, who is in charge of roads and sanitary services.