By KEVIN NEVERS

The stars all seem to be aligning, as the Chesterton Town Council looks to begin the process of recruiting and hiring a town manager.

First the Honors Economics class at Chesterton High School chose as its special project this semester an in-depth study of the feasibility and desirability of creating that position in the Town of Chesterton.

Then, at Monday’ meeting of the Town Council, Economic Development Coordinator Dwayne Williams announced his resignation, effective Friday, freeing a salary which could be used at least partially to compensate a town manager. The Town Council scheduled a special meeting for 5 p.m. April 28 to discuss the issue further, including the determination of an appropriate salary and the crafting of a job description.

Now the Chesterton/Duneland Chamber of Commerce has taken a seat on the wave as well. At its meeting this morning the Chamber’s Board of Directors “reiterated its wholehearted support” of the town’s hiring a manager, President Mark Chamberlain told the Chesterton Tribune. “The sooner the better, as far as we’re concerned. And we’d be pleased to offer any assistance we can. Maybe there isn’t any. But the Town Council has our moral support. We’re going to be as public and vocal as we can to help the process along.”

An e-poll conducted some time ago by the Chamber of its members showed extremely strong support for a town manager, Chamberlain noted. And the Chamber’s Executive Committee “couldn’t be more in favor,” he added.

So the stars are aligning, and possibly in one more way too. The Chamber is currently seeking to fill a brand-new position in its organization, tentatively dubbed managing director, who would be tasked specifically with outreach and economic development.

Today Chamberlain indicated that, in a perfect world, the Chesterton Town Manager and the Chamber Managing Director would work closely together on matters of mutual interest. “We’re hoping there’ll be a good fit,” he said.

The subject of town manager originally emerged in the fall of 2006, in the run-up to Chesterton’s referendum on city status. Numerous residents expressed the opinion at the time that a town manager would be a preferable alternative to a mayor, and that view may have had something to do with the overwhelming defeat dealt city status at the polls.

After the referendum Town Council Member Jim Ton, R-1st, volunteered to draft a document on the ways and means of hiring a town manager. He duly submitted that document to his colleagues in January 2007, but they promptly shelved it for two reasons. First, members were then in the last year of their terms and they supposed that no candidate for the position of town manager would accept a job offer knowing that the composition of the Town Council would likely change—and therefore possibly his or her job status with it—in the municipal election in November. Second, members expressed doubts about the town’s ability to fund the new position.

Circumstances have since changed. The current Town Council has only just begun its term, and Williams’ salary is now available.

A chief duty of a town manager, according to Ton’s document, would be to serve as the contact or lead person “in regards to citizens, issues, public relations, all economic development issues, and any other duties assigned by the council.”

Other duties, Ton suggested in his document: The town manager would attend all municipal meetings and supervise the operation of all departments; would, with department heads’ recommendations, hire, suspend, discharge, remove, or transfer town employees; would administer and enforce Town Code; and would see that annual budget estimates are prepared by all departments and would execute contracts on behalf of the town.

Posted 4/17/2008