Mum is still the word.

City commissioners are sticking to their guns when it comes to keeping private the names of the finalists to become Lawrence’s next city manager. That’s despite the examples of other communities and governmental organizations that have been more transparent in the hiring of their top-level executives.

“In other places it is a little more public process,” said John Nalbandian, chairman of Kansas University’s department of public administration. “But doing it this way isn’t rare either.”

Commissioners on Wednesday said there was good reason to keep the names under wrap. Several commissioners said making the names public would have caused several people to not apply for the job because they didn’t want their current employer to know they were job hunting.

“We did not want to in any way limit anybody from applying for the job,” Mayor Mike Amyx said. “That was a concern.”

Nalbandian said it is a legitimate concern, to a point. He said the city would be less likely to get an application from a current city manager in a comparable city because of concerns about what his or her current commission might think. But, Nalbandian said, many candidates understand that’s a risk that comes with the territory.

“If you are a candidate for a job, you pretty much know you can’t keep it a secret forever,” Nalbandian said. “At some point, it is reasonable to expect that commissioners are going to have to call people in your current city to find out about you.”

Nalbandian said he thinks a public process has its advantages. For example, he said it would be important for a candidate to really understand the power and influence of various groups, such as neighborhood associations, home builders, the university, the Chamber of Commerce and others.

“It is one thing to tell a candidate about it, but it is another thing to actually meet with a coalition of neighborhoods, for example,” Nalbandian said. “The more the person knows about the community – the fewer surprises there are – the better the long-term relationship is going to be.”

City leaders don’t have to look far to see how a public interview process works. KU has been using a public process to hire deans for about the past 10 years, said Lynn Bretz, director of university communications.

At KU, a search committee narrows the field from five to three people. Each finalist then participates in a public forum that is open to faculty, staff, students, the media and the public.

“It gives people a flavor for how he or she views things,” Bretz said. “You get a sense of their ability to present themselves to a large group of people. Then we have a reception afterwards, so you get to see their social skills as well.”

Other area communities have taken a more hybrid approach. When Lenexa hired its city administrator nearly three years ago, the city used a committee that included some residents to review the applications. Other communities in the area, though, have taken an approach similar to Lawrence’s. Franklin County is using a system that is largely private as it searches for a new county administrator.

City commissioners said they have tried to find out what the public is looking for in a new city manager. The consultant helping the city with its search met with various groups to find out what they seek in Lawrence’s next top executive. Those meetings were held before the city started taking applications for the job.

“We’re still open to information like that,” City Commissioner Boog Highberger said.

Highberger said he was interested in providing the public with some additional details about the candidates, though he stopped short of saying he was going to lobby commissioners to reconsider the decision to keep the names private.

City Commissioner David Schauner said he felt the city now needed to follow through on keeping the names confidential because that’s how the position was advertised.

“We’re not trying to keep anything from anybody,” Schauner said. “It really is about protecting the privacy of the applicant.”

Commissioners are expected to conduct the interviews during the weekend of Sept. 23-24. Amyx has said he hopes the commission will be in a position to make a job offer in the first week of October.