Hiring a new city manager probably is the most important task currently facing the Lawrence City Commission.

With that in mind, commissioners should set up a process that actively seeks out potential candidates for the job and draws on all the expertise available in the community to help evaluate those candidates and make the best choice for Lawrence.

Commissioners may hire a search firm to help them identify candidates to replace Dave Corliss, but the recent experiences of the Lawrence chamber of commerce are a reminder that such firms aren’t always successful in identifying candidates that are a good fit for Lawrence. Whether or not the city hires a search firm, it should use other connections and contacts to find people that a search firm might miss, including those who may not currently be considering a job change.

The current commission has just one veteran member, one member with two years experience and three brand new members. The relative inexperience of the group suggests that the search process might benefit from drawing on additional community resources such as Kansas University’s highly ranked public administration program. The city might even consider establishing some kind of advisory search committee of community leaders who could help evaluate candidates and provide some input to the commission.

City managers play a vital role in the life of Lawrence. They set the standards of professionalism and service for a large city staff that interacts with the community every day. They oversee the city’s finances. They are responsible for executing the agenda set by city commissioners and, in many cases, help to shape that agenda. Commissioners come and go, but city managers provide ongoing leadership and stability for the city government.

The last two city managers have been promoted from within the existing staff. That may again be an option, but the city also should consider outside candidates who might bring some new ideas and experience with them.

Hiring the next city manager will be a challenging task. City commissioners shouldn’t hesitate to call on the community’s expertise to help them make this important choice.