Dennis Zine on the GM Search Process

The below supposedly (from ADL) are quotes from Zine made some months ago on the search process. He has it 100% on the money.

"The search for this particular  general manager is of critical importance to the city of Los Angeles. I am the chair of the city's personnel committee and dealing with personnel issues, also a member of the executive "employee relations" committee where we establish contracts for all the city employees and I can say candidly that the previous general managers have been a disaster, not only for the city of Los Angeles but for the tax payers, because we've had lawsuits, we've paid out money, and we've had very poor leadership in this particular department."  

 

"If it was the police department or the fire department, we'd  probably have anarchy in the city of Los Angeles if we had that type of poor leadership. I know you're not going to make the selection. 

 

Zine continues: "The concern is not to recycle and what we see happening, often times, is that you'll recycle a general manager from another city. We need to break out of the box, the tradition box of recycling from other part of the country, where someone allegedly did a great job and then you start doing some research. I come from a law enforcement background where you do research to make sure what the credentials are."

 

"So, the ability to oversee a large department with multiple responsibilities, strategic planning is a major issue and a major concern. Shelter operations and maintenance, we have additional shelters that have been established because of the bond measure by the tax payers and we've had disasters at some of those shelters with the construction because there wasn't proper oversight. The veterinary care and employee relations. I can remember the previous general manager, and I'm not going to give names, but I had employees, including supervisors from the department, come to me screaming that there was absolutely no leadership.  Now when your supervisors start coming complaining about lack of leadership, you have a very serious problem. So employee relations is a critical concern."

 

"The ability to create a comprehensive policy manual, the department does not have a policy manual. The previous general manager did away with the policy manual  How do you have a policy that changes day to day? You've got to have established rules, regulations, procedures so the employees know what's expected of them and how to deliver that service. I understand currently they don't have a policy manual which, in this day and age, I don't know any department that exists without that."

 

"We needs stats of the manager's real work history and resume, is there a pattern, reasons for departure from their previous jobs as managers of other city or county shelters? If you get someone from another city, do a thorough background, you can go google dot com and get all kinds of information about an individual. Relationship with established national organizations, humane society, aspca, peta, relationship with local adoption and rescue groups, experience in oversight and monitoring, experience in complaint investigations. We need somebody who's a proven general manager, whether they have five dogs or ten cats, the issue is to lead that department, serve the people of Los Angeles, serve the animals of Los Angeles, and the tax dollars that go into running that department. Make sure it's appropriately done."

 

"We are city of the angels that should be able to treat our animals in a respectable fashion, a humane fashion and a general manager that can deliver that. Less than that is not acceptable to me, the people of Los Angeles.  Thank you very much."