To the editor:

The search has begun to hire the most powerful person in Brigantine government, the city manager. And instead of casting a wide net to find a pool of candidates, a wading pool has been set on Brigantine Beach.

At the Aug. 3 council meeting, the mayor and some council members pushed for candidates to have "New Jersey experience." How absurd. Casino executives move from state to state with different regulations. The police chief of Philadelphia came from Washington, D.C., two cities with different laws, but he has a city attorney, like us, to advise him until he completes his learning curve. It happens all the time in all levels of corporations and government.

The mayor and city attorney emphasized that we advertise ourselves as Brigantine Beach, so candidates have "beach-town experience." Why limit ourselves to New Jersey beaches? Why not recruit from the outer banks of North Carolina, or the Maryland, Long Island, Virginia or Cape Cod shore? Many towns in these fine residential/tourist areas compare to Brigantine.

The last parameter was where the help-wanted ads would appear. The No. 1 way to recruit, Monster and CareerBuilder websites, was never mentioned. Nor was the Asbury Park Press, whose readership includes the numerous New Jersey beach towns from Long Branch to Long Beach Island. The search said they would place the ad in the Newark Star Ledger (Newark?) and the Press of Atlantic City. This search firm claims they recently hired city managers for Wildwood, Sea Isle City and Ocean City. Why advertise in The Press? Are there any managers left to recruit in The Press readership area? The ad says the only way to apply for the job is by mailing eight copies of your résumé, no online applications accepted, no faxes, no website. This is an antiquated way of garnering response.   

Will the city heed the advice of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, where the "No. 1 don't" in their guide to selecting a city manager states: "Don't limit your recruitment and investigation to a single candidate or only residents of the community."

It is apparent that this hiring strategy, at best, will yield a minimum amount of applicants. And many people in Brigantine believe this search is just a show because there is a chosen candidate already working for City Hall, Ed Stinson, and he sits alone in the pool.

Michael Stangler