Verona officials hire consultant to help with borough manager search

Verona officials have hired a consultant to help them with their full-time borough manager search.

Borough officials seek a replacement for Jerry Kenna, who resigned as borough manager effective the end of January.

Council voted 5-1 on Tuesday to contract with Susan G. Hockenberry Coaching and Consulting through April 30 at a cost of $3,200.

Councilman Ray Suchevich dissented. He expressed concerns about who would handle the day-to-day operations, and wanted to keep Kenna on as manager.

“I didn’t think this was a good idea,” Suchevich said about hiring a consultant. “I don’t think we need it.”

Council later agreed at Tuesday night’s meeting to keep Kenna on as finance director. He will be paid $24,000 for his services.

Kenna took over as manager for Mark Stanton, Verona’s current code enforcement officer, in 2016.

He serves the borough part time and operates a finance business in Oakmont called Landmark Business Solutions. Kenna launched the company in 2007.

Kenna, 36, of Oakmont collected a borough salary of $48,000, including $12,000 as treasurer/accountant.

Verona’s 2021 budget has $70,000 allocated for a manager and $24,000 for accounting services.

Council President Nancy Carpenter said the borough saves about $1,000 a month by hiring Hockenberry and Kenna in his new role. He was the lowest bidder out of three accountants.

Kenna thanked council for its continued support in his financial skills and pledged to assist in a borough manager transition.

Hockenberry is the executive director of the Quaker Valley Council of Governments and launched her own consulting practice in 2019.

She was the executive director for the Local Government Academy in Pittsburgh for about 14 years prior to taking that position with Quaker Valley COG.

Hockenberry also served as the director of administration and finance for O’Hara Township from 1992 to 2002.

Carpenter said she reached out to people at the state Department of Community and Economic Development as well as the Local Government Academy and the Allegheny League of Municipalities regarding consultants and interim borough managers, and Hockenberry was recommended by DCED.

Her proposal to Verona goes beyond just offering to look at resumes.

Hockenberry is expected to provide assistance and advice in municipal administration during the search process, interview council members and borough staff, as well as review and provide recommendations regarding the most effective alignment of required administrative tasks.

Any additional work beyond the scope of the contract would be billed at $75 per hour.

Council vice president Dave Matlin said hiring a consultant to assist in the manager search is a good move for everyone involved.

“We need a professional, independent consultant to help us with the transition to a new borough manager, as well as help with some strategic planning,” Matlin said. “While our borough manager search committee has done a great job so far in reviewing candidate applications, I think it is critical that we set our borough on the best course possible for serving the people of Verona for years to come.

“That includes making sure we hire the right candidate to be Verona’s new borough manager, and making sure our council and administration are operating efficiently, transparently, and according to best practices.”

Borough officials have been clamoring for a full-time manager for quite some time.

Recently appointed council member Trish Hredzak-Showalter said it is key they find the right person to steer the borough into the future with all the upcoming projects such as a community garden, Cribbs Field improvements, hiring of police officers and comprehensive plan development, to name a few.

“Verona is on the cusp of a new era,” she said. “No matter where you look in our borough, you see a rocket ship ready to take off. … All this growth has placed demands on our borough to support it, which unquestionably requires at a minimum a full-time borough manager. The opportunity to have Susan’s insight and expertise as we find the right full-time manager to me is just icing on the cake.”

More than a dozen people have applied for the position. Deadline to submit resumes was Jan. 26.

It is unclear when one would be hired.