Columbia Association board debates community role in presidential selection

Columbia, Md (Map, News) - The Columbia Association board is debating how much the community should be involved in helping the organization select its new president as the search begins.

“Our main responsibility as the board is to choose a president, and we have been elected by the people in Columbia to do that,” said Barbara Russell, CA board chairwoman.

Board members agree that the public should have a chance to weigh in on the selection, but Russell and other members say that should happen after the field has been narrowed.

The contract for Maggie Brown, who makes $190,000 a year as president of the Howard nonprofit homeowners association, expires in April 2009.

The CA board operations committee is considering a lengthy job description and time line for selecting a new president. The board expects to select an executive search firm in the next couple of months, which would leave about nine months or so to select candidates.

Involving the community now, when the board is finalizing the job description and looking to hire a search consultant, would delay the process, said Russell, who represents Oakland Mills.

“The productive place to involve the community is when you have final candidates,” she said.

Board member Cynthia Coyle, a member of the committee, agreed, saying organizing the public to weigh in now would push back the process four or five months.

The board is solely responsible for the president’s job selection and evaluations, said Coyle, who represents Harper’s Choice.

However, board member Tom O’Connor said the board should be getting feedback from the community early in the process.

“It’s part of our due diligence to get this done right,” said O’Connor, who represents Dorsey’s Search.

Next May is plenty of time to hold focus groups and surveys now before finalizing the job description and hiring a consultant, he said.

The committee this month will continue talks about the job description, which members said needed to be shortened, and the full board is expected to make a decision on the description and time line later this month.

smichael@baltimoreexaminer.com

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