Tesser Reference Profile Confidential-Not for Public Distribution
Michelle Tesser
Supervisor Has known candidate for 2 years
o Very creative
o Initially worked as a part-time office manager, position later changed to an
assistant position with responsibility for parks and recreation
o In the parks and recreation role, she was successful in identifying niche
programming the city could offer that was not duplicating services in other
nearby communities
o Some exposure to human resources and finance; limited knowledge of
planning
o Responsibility for hiring and supervising seasonal parks and recreation
staff; also supervised administrative support staff
o Limited exposure to working in a political environment; uncertain of her
ability to handle conflict
SupeNlsOr Has known candidate for 4 years
o Great personality, gets along well with everyone
o Excellent communication skills
o Demonstrated ability to wear many hats
o Coordinated the long-term disaster recovery plan and assisted in distributing
FEMA funding
o Identified an obscure federal grant program that covered the cost of new
tornado sirens
o Has a"can-do"attitude; gets the job done
o Experience in human resources; limited exposure to budgeting, finance and
planning;would be comfortable coordinating the work of consultants
o Has taken an active role in the Association of Public Management
Professionals(APMP)
Direct Report Has known candidate for 2 years
o Professional
o Makes decisions based on the impact to the community, strives to be more
efficient day after day to save them time and money
o Helpful in all forms of communication—distributes responsibilities, assists
teammates and fulfills her own requirements as a supervisor and team
member
o Will fit in well with the community of Scandia
o Able to relate to people and assist in the appropriate manner including
residents,coworkers, staff and direct reports
o More of a doer until she trusts the person she would be handing the
assignment if she were to delegate to them
o Takes a leadership role when working with an elected body
o Keeps elected officials on task and productive during meeting times
o Able to voice opinions without being overbearing; takes the time to listen to
the board members—works well with them
o Cares about the work that she does as a public servant
o Takes the time to do a thorough job on projects, spending extra time if
needed to ensure things are done properly
Elected Official Has known candidate for 2years
o Wears many hats; serving as the staff liaison to the Parks and Recreation
and Human Rights Commission
o Impressed by her ability to create and implement programs that the previous
parks and recreation staff didn't get done
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Reference Profile Confidential-Not for Public Distribution
o Served as interim administrator; got along well with the City Council
o Good communicator,anticipated questions
o Fearless,willing to take on anything; thrives in uncharted waters
Community Member Has known candidate for 3 years
o Qualified to effectively hire and manage a large staff
o Personable and relatable
o Sunny disposition-invites dialog between city staff and public
o Would be a great asset to the city to serve on the "front line and face of the
city"
o Committed to being a face for the city and representative of the elected
body;would be able to stand up for and enforce unpopular decisions
o Able to delegate as necessary,but most certainly a doer
o Follows up on directives and goes above and beyond to meet the
commission needs
o Takes initiative
o Shows ingenuity
o Asks what more can be done to make things better
o Works well with the elected body-collaborative relationship
o Follows through on decisions made by the elected officials
o Great multi-tasker
o Forward thinking - ability to look ahead and consider the impact and
consequences of options being considered
o Reliable
o Acts as a great liaison between the commission, staff and elected officials
����z�i�C`�=� City of Scandia,Minnesota,City Administrator Search. �j