Okaloosa County BOCC — November 4, 2012 — Colin Baenziger — reading text

Dedication to serving the public. Strong background and experience in local government. Excellent people skills. Weaknesses: None identified. Jim Burgess - Mayor, City of Social Circle, GA (770) 464-3366 Mr. Burgess has known Mr. Morrill since 1996. He works as a lobbyist for the City of Savannah and is also the Mayor of a small town in Georgia. As Mr. Burgess lobbies on behalf of Savannah to State Legislature, he relies on Mr. Morrill to provide him with pertinent financial information. Mr. Morrill gives him impact research and analysis reports related to specific pieces of legislation. He creates slides, charts, and graphs for Mr. Burgess to present to the State. He is quick to respond to Mr. Burgess’ needs and provides him with thorough information. Mr. Morrill is bright and well educated. His staff members have a high regard for him and value his high morals. He has strong people skills and is not overbearing. He is very easy to work with because of his first-rate personality. Mr. Morrill has a good relationship with the governing body. He is very astute about political relationships. They may often disagree, but Mr. Morrill knows when to push and when he must submit. The Council can sometimes be more involved in day to day operations than they should. Mr. Morrill has successfully managed working with this group of individuals. Mr. Morrill has worked on several successful projects in the community. He focused on cleaning up certain rundown areas and providing renewal in low income communities. One downtown renewal project included a parking facility, the expansion of the river walk, and added retail space. His financial acumen has been a big asset in making these projects successful. Mr. Morrill has worked under a superb City Manager. He has been fully exposed to his skills and learned much from emulating them. He has academic training and has managed a diverse city. Advancing to City Manager would be an ideal step for him, and the timing is right. Adjectives or Phrases Used to Describe Mr. Morrill:  Good personality,  Strong academically,  Not overbearing,  High morals,  Bright, and  Quick to respond. -19-  Reference Notes Christopher Morrill Strengths: People skills. Weaknesses: None identified. Dick Evans - CFO, City of Savannah, GA (912) 651-6440 Mr. Evans has known Mr. Morrill since 2001. They have worked together monitoring the finances of the City. Mr. Morrill has a strong background in budgeting and knows how to balance a budget. He is very precise and concerned with numbers. Mr. Morrill is very good at keeping others informed. He is open, clear, and direct in his communications. He knows how to word financial reports in ways that are understandable to anyone. He is a good consensus builder. He welcomes the input of his staff, keeps them informed,. He then creates the appropriate solution to the problem. Mr. Morrill pitched the idea of a new budgeting process to the City. It is called Budgeting for Outcomes. He authored this process of establishing priorities first, then budgeting to finance the services which address those priorities. This new process has had the added bonus of organizing all departments to work toward a common goal. Mr. Morrill developed good relationships with other entities outside the city government including the Chamber of Commerce, the historic community, developers, and other organizations. He represents the City well and has high standards. Mr. Morrill would make a very good City Manager. Adjectives or Phrases Used to Describe Mr. Morrill:  Methodical,  Personable,  Analytical,  Technically strong,  Competent, and  Works well with people. Strengths: Financial skills. Weaknesses: None identified. -20-  Reference Notes Christopher Morrill Chris Miller – Creative Economy Consultant, Savannah, GA (912) 484-7192 Mr. Miller is a resident of Savannah and an entrepreneur. He has known Mr. Morrill since 2001. Mr. Morrill has proven a tremendous support and vital contact for Mr. Miller. He helps facilitate Mr. Miller’s efforts by being accessible and getting involved in his projects. Mr. Morrill returns calls and follows up. He is open to new ideas and is supportive whenever he feels it will benefit the community. He focuses on results, not on politics. He takes on a role beyond simply handling the paperwork. He sees the whole community as a team. He uses his influence in the government to help outside projects succeed, projects that benefit the community. He understands that, if he helps outside agencies better the community then the pressure on the City to provide these services or changes will lessen or, alternatively, there will be more money to ay for the services. Mr. Morrill is very patient. He has a pleasant approach to handling difficult situations. Whenever issues become politically charged, he is able to calm the waters, allowing the real issues to become clear. He listens willingly and is open to reconsideration of any preconceived ideas. His goal is to align the community so it can be the best it can be. At times, Mr. Morrill has had to work with people who do not have the best interests of the City in mind. The options in dealing with such people are either: refuse to work with them, or work with them and realign their interests. Mr. Morrill has been a very positive influence and has a talent for turning negative intent into positive results. As an example, the Savannah River landing is a 100 million dollar project proposed for the development of 54 acres in the downtown area. The developer had planned to create a gated community of single family homes. Mr. Morrill recognized the importance of developing this area. However, he did not feel a gated community would adhere to the historical sense of the area, nor would it be the best use of the land. He was able to convince the developer to make changes which would benefit them and the City. The project now consists of a 5-star hotel and spa, several luxury condominium towers, 17 single family riverfront homes, 11 blocks of single family town homes, retail stores, restaurants, art galleries and office buildings. Also, the public squares were donated back to the City. Both the developers and the City will greatly benefit from this project, which is currently under construction. Mr. Miller knows of a major developer out of Atlanta who has taken a special interest in Savannah. He expressed to Mr. Miller that he has chosen Savannah primarily because Mr. Morrill has always been willing to talk to him about his investments. He returns his calls and helps him solve his problems. Encouraged by his interactions with Mr. Morrill, the gentleman will keep investing in the region. Mr. Morrill deserves the opportunity to move up from his current position as an Assistant City Manager. He needs the freedom to bring about good things. It will be a large loss for the City of Savannah if he is chosen by another municipality, but he will make an excellent City Manager. -21-  Reference Notes Christopher Morrill Adjectives or Phrases Used to Describe Mr. Morrill:  Knowledgeable,  Resourceful,  Efficient,  Possessing integrity,  Professional, and  Timely. Strengths: Ability to work with outside agencies and create cohesion. Weaknesses: None identified. Beth Robinson, Human Resources Director, City of Savannah, GA, (912) 651-6925 Ms. Robinson has worked with Mr. Morrill since 1995 and reports directly to him. Mr. Morrill’s strength is in finance. He is well respected and has been nationally recognized for his work by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). He has also been a member of various committees in the financial community. Although finance is his specialty, he has shown himself able to learn skills in many areas and to contribute in those areas. Mr. Morrill is a team player. Rather than receive all the credit, he wants to see his whole team be praised for their efforts. He values his staff and their talents. As a manager he knows how to help redirect those who are not team players so they learn to collaborate. He is sincere, concerned, and involved. He is a visionary. He can see where the City needs to go and how to get there. One of the most significant changes Mr. Morrill has made is called Budgeting for Outcomes. He has been the driving force and visionary behind this new method of doing business. It has taught the City to look at its services form the citizens’ perspective and understand what services they value. Mr. Morrill has also set up the priority teams. He chose individuals whose vision went beyond their immediate area. He was very successful in identifying their strengths and values. He ensured the teams were a truly representative of all citizens: young and old, male and female, African American and Caucasian. The new budgeting process helped bridge a 15 million dollar shortfall. Customer service is important to Mr. Morrill. He focuses his team’s efforts on providing good service and lives up to that expectation himself. He does not use his position as Assistant City Manager to avoid serving individuals. He takes time to speak with citizens and to help them. He does not like conflict, but knows how to deal with it. He handles problems head on. Mr. Morrill is a good presenter. He is comfortable in front of employees, citizens, and the Board. -22-  Reference Notes Christopher Morrill Adjectives or Phrases Used to Describe Mr. Morrill:  Sincere,  Involved in the community,  Professional,  Articulate,  Genuine, and  Earnest. Strengths: Team building, vision, and good management skills. Weaknesses: None identified. Jenny Payne, Management Services Coordinator, City of Savannah, GA, (912) 651-6420 Ms. Payne has known Mr. Morrill since 2005. She reports directly to him. He has been a strong leader and is the heart of the organization. He allows his employees to grow without boundaries. He trusts them and encourages them to do their work. He creates an environment in which the staff want to work hard for him and produce their best work. He is a very qualified individual and often acts as the City Manager when that person is absent. When making a decision Mr. Morrill collaborates with his team to make the best decision for the community. The results may not always be successful based on some traditional measures of achievement, but they do represent the best interests of the whole community. That is his focus. The City Council respects Mr. Morrill. They seem to respond to him better than they do the City Manager. Mr. Morrill speaks to each of them using their proper title. He understands they are the most important decision making body in the community so he addresses them professionally and with respect. Mr. Morrill is very responsive. He quickly returns phone calls. He spends time with residents, often listening to their issues when the problem could possibly be handled by someone else. He is sensitive and in tune. When holding a discussion with someone, he will get up away from his desk to sit at a table, without his phone or Blackberry, so they can talk without distractions. Mr. Morrill often plays the role of mediator. In one instance, some time ago, the Economic Development Authority was having an awards ceremony in a public place. Savannah Gay Pride group was also in the area handing out flyers.