After interviewing three finalists last week for the vacant executive director position, the Oxford Downtown Development Authority decided to continue its search.
‘We’re not dispirited by it,? said DDA Chairman Kevin Stephison, who’s employed as the business manager for Huntoon Funeral Home. ‘We want the right fit, not just a quick fit.?
Twenty-five candidates originally applied for the position, which became open after the previous director, Amanda Cassidy, resigned at the end of August.
‘To have 25 applicants for a position in a community our size is quite amazing,? Stephison said.
That pool was narrowed to three candidates, who were interviewed and discussed by the DDA board Monday, Oct. 30.
‘We discussed each of them individually and from the feedback we were getting, we just decided none of them met the requirements we were looking for at that time,? Stephison said. ‘It was a mixture of qualification and personality.?
One of the concerns was over whether the three candidates were genuinely willing to commit the necessary time to the position or were they just paying lip-service to the issue.
‘They all said they were willing to commit the time, but you walked away going, ‘Okay, are they telling us that just because it’s part of the questioning process or is it a serious answer??? Stephison said.
In the end, ‘We could not come to a consensus on the three, so we decided to open the net and start over again,? the chairman said.
Stephison said he told the board he wants a candidate that a ‘super-majority, more than just 51 percent? of the board can agree to pursue.
‘It’s going to have to be somebody that’s the right one,? he said. ‘They just weren’t there that night.?
‘We’re looking for somebody who has downtown development experience obviously, but somebody who is also willing to commit the time to do the face-to-face with the businesses,? Stephison explained. ‘Somebody with a good grasp of marketing, promotion and business retention is what we’d like to find.?
If a candidate is a right fit in every way except that he or she lacks training in the Main Street revitalization program, of which downtown Oxford is a part, Stephison said, ‘That’s easy enough to take care of? with classes.
Personally, the DDA chairman said, ‘I want somebody who thinks outside the box and isn’t afraid to push the envelope a little bit.?
The DDA is advertising for the position again and already has three new applicants plus someone who expressed an interest verbally.
As for the 22 original applicants who didn’t make the four-member selection committee’s final cut, their resumes and qualifications are being reviewed by the entire DDA board ‘to see if there’s one we might have overlooked,? according to Stephison. ‘We haven’t ruled all of them out yet.?
The DDA is looking for someone to fill the director position on a full-time basis, but if that isn’t possible Stephison said, ‘We are prepared to put one or possibly two part-timers in the position.?
Although ‘it’s going to be a little bit longer process than we’d hoped? to fill the job, the DDA chairman said he ‘would love to have somebody in by the end of the year at the latest.?
‘I would like to have somebody for the beginning of the year so psychologically we’re on the ground running full speed,? Stephison explained.