September 29, 2022 |
Reactions were mixed among Rawlins City Council members Wednesday to the news that Sean Metcalf will leave his job as city manager for a similar position in Hastings, Nebraska.
News outlets in Hastings, south of Grand Island in western Nebraska, announced on Tuesday that Metcalf had been named a finalist to become its next city administrator.
On Wednesday, the city of Hastings posted on its website that Metcalf had accepted the position. The news comes almost two years to the day since being named city manager in Rawlins.
Shortly after becoming Rawlins city manager in 2020, Metcalf won approval to oversee the hiring of new employees. He set about reorganizing city hall, bringing the information technology, civil engineer and deputy city attorney in-house instead of outsourcing the work. He reshaped the culture of city hall by hiring a new police chief, fire chief and department heads. Metcalf also reorganized the public works department.
One city councilman, Darril Garner of Ward 2, said Metcalf revitalized city hall with new ideas and a fresh outlook. Garner said Metcalf spent a lot of time fixing messes that he adopted, and he will be missed.
Pictured above: File photo of Shawn Metcalf. Photo courtesy of the City of Rawlins.
Garner cited the relationship between the city fire and police departments as an example of how Metcalf was able to create unity and improve morale among employees.
Garner said while he’s disappointed about Metcalf’s departure, he’s not surprised. The city manager was “bullied” and not treated with respect by some members of the council, he said.
The city manager serves as an “at-will employee” who can be terminated at any time. Garner said a tension existed between some members of the governing body and Metcalf that included micromanaging to the point of being yelled at behind closed doors.
Bigfoot 99 reached out to each member of the governing body. In addition to Garner, Mayor Terry Weickum, Councilwoman Linda Smith and Concilman Debari Martinez were the only to respond.
Mayor Weickum said he could not discuss the details about the relationship between council and Metcalf because it is a personnel matter. Even though a lot of projects are in the works, including the major renovation of the municipal water system, the mayor said Rawlins will come through the transition of hiring a new city manager without any setbacks.
Councilwoman Smith praised Metcalf for his accomplishments over the last two years but noted that city managers typically have a shelf life of only a few years no matter where they serve.
Councilman Martinez also said that city council was the last to know about Metcalf’s resignation.
Councilman Martinez said he had heard “scuttlebutt” that Metcalf was actively looking for another employment opportunity elsewhere. On September 20th, KNEP in Scottsbluff, Nebraska reported that Metcalf was named as one of three finalists for the city manager position in that city.
Martinez said he’s not concerned about the future of the city without Metcalf as city manager.
Councilman Garner is concerned. The Ward 2 councilman said Metcalf brought a fresh way of looking at possibilities in Rawlins and was effective in implementing positive changes.
Residents have posted similar comments on social media pages, including Bigfoot 99’s Facebook page.
Council members Aaron Durst, Chris Weisenburg and Vice Mayor Jacqueline Wells did not return our calls to express their reactions to the news about Metcalf’s departure.
The post on the Hastings city website states that the city council there will review the final contract with Metcalf in October, and his official start date will be announced at that time.
