During the last town election, one of the candidates for selectman said something during a candidates' forum which reminded me why I have this blog. Answering a question about oversight of the town board/committees/commissions, this person mentioned the hockey questions I had asked during some recent interviews, suggesting that something more substantive should be asked.
In fact, there is a method to my madness, and I am more than happy to explain it. Because the bulk of the interviews were for the conservation commission, let's focus on those questions:
What do you do in your spare time? Did you see the hockey game the other night? What do you like about your job? Read any good books lately?
It can be pretty stressful facing five people with an audience in a public forum, so the purpose of these questions is to try to help the person to relax - even get them to laugh if possible. Basically, these are icebreaker questions.
However, even icebreakers can be revealing. When asked about a good book, one candidate answered, "The Good Earth." This suggests a person who has a very strong affinity for environmental issues, and further questions confirmed that.
If you were speaking to a classroom of young children, how would you describe what the conservation commission does? If I wanted to cut some trees in my yard, should I call the commission? What should the conservation commission do about global warming?
These questions were intended to test the applicant's knowledge of the job. Some folks believe that the commission's job is to protect the environment. However, the commission has two, very specific roles. The first is to manage the town-owned conservation lands, for the second, read on...
Have you ever been called for jury duty? What did you like/dislike about it? Share a situation where someone proved you wrong. How did you react? Have you ever had to prove or disprove something to a skeptic? How did you go about doing that?
Ironically, another question asked during the candidates' forum was about the most important qualification for a member of the commission. Knowing the questioner (we served on the commission together) I know what the 'right' answer would be: A desire to protect the environment. Most of the candidates for selectman said this. It is the wrong answer.
The correct answer is the ability to read and understand the regulations, and determine if they apply to the situation at hand. This is the second - and much larger - job of the commission. Upwards of 90 percent of the commission's time is spent determining if property owners' requests meet the regulations and qualify for a permit.
Hence, these questions. Members of the commission must judge a case not upon a desire to protect the environment, but on the facts. Failure to do this often results in costly appeals via the courts. Unfortunately, this is the norm; more than half of the town's legal caseload are appeals of conservation decisions.
A fellow commissioner tells you that they don't like a particular lawyer/engineer that comes before the commission regularly. How do you react? Imagine you've been appointed. What's the most important thing on your to-do list on the first day of work? How do you cope when unexpected obstacles hinder your work? Sometimes we have to work with a person where there is a clash of personalities. How do you handle a situation where there is mutual dislike? How would you handle a situation where you believed that someone wasn't acting ethically?
These questions go to temperament, ethics, judgment and decision-making. Most of the questions asked by Selectman Mary Pat Flynn were along these lines (kudos to her). As we have seen recently, it is important that the members of the various town boards can get along, even if they cannot agree. Tempers will sometimes flare. The question is whether those persons can let go of the animosity and continue to work productively together on behalf of the citizens of Falmouth.
Like anything in life, interviews can be anything from the simple to the complex; from "you're hired" to a battery of questions from a group of individuals. The objective is to screen candidates, find the best person for the job, and avoid the potential for a Donald Trump moment, i.e., "you're fired."
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