“Queen City on the Hudson!”

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This is an opportunity for a seasoned managementprofessional to live and work in an established andrevitalizing community in the beautiful Hudson River Valleyof New York state. The City is seeking a progressive,innovative and professional City Administrator to lead theCity organization as it redevelops itself for the future.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITYPoughkeepsie, known as “The Queen City on the Hudson,”is strategically located in the Hudson Valley midwaybetween New York City and Albany. The City ofPoughkeepsie provides a political, cultural, and economicepicenter for the people of Dutchess County, which has apopulation of approximately 300,000 people. The City’snearly 32,000 residents are racially and economicallydiverse, living in a tree-lined urban setting coveringapproximately four square miles.

Poughkeepsie is steeped in history, having been settled byNative Americans hundreds of years before Dutch explorerHenry Hudson made note of the location on his voyage upthe river that bears his name. The name “Poughkeepsie” isderived from the Wappinger Tribe’s description of the place.They called it "the reed-covered lodge by the little-waterplace," referring to a spring or stream feeding into theHudson River south of the present downtown area.

Poughkeepsie was originally settled in the 17th century bythe Dutch and briefly served as New York's second capitala short time after the American Revolution. The communitywas set off from the Town of Poughkeepsie when it becamean incorporated village in 1799. The City of Poughkeepsiewas chartered in 1854.

In 1788, the Ratification Convention for New York State, whichincluded Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and George Clinton,assembled at the courthouse on Market Street, debated, andratified the United States Constitution. With its ratification, NewYork entered the new union as the eleventh of the original thirteencolonies to join together as the United States of America.

Early on, Poughkeepsie was a major center for whalerendering, and during the 19th century industry flourishedthrough shipping, paper mills, and several breweries along

the Hudson River, including some owned by Mathew Vassar,founder of Vassar College. Due to the area's natural beautyand proximity to New York City, families such as the Astorsand Vanderbilts built palatial weekend homes nearby. TheVanderbilt Mansion, Val-Kill, and the Franklin D. RooseveltHome, all located in nearby Hyde Park, are registered asNational Historic Sites.

Poughkeepsie sits at the junction of the north-south US 9 andeast-west US 44 and NY 55 highways. Rail commuterservice to New York City is provided at the PoughkeepsieMetro-North station by the MTA’s Metro-North Railroad.Amtrak also serves the station south to New York City'sPennsylvania Station and north along the river to the Albany-Rensselaer station and points further north and west.

The nearest major airport to Poughkeepsie is StewartInternational Airport about 25 miles south in New Windsor.Other nearby airports include Dutchess Airport, WhitePlains Airport, Albany International Airport (approximately85 miles north) and the three major metropolitan airportsserving New York City less than 90 miles south.

Two institutions of higher learning operate campuses withinthe city: Adelphi University's Hudson Valley Center and theRidley-Lowell Business and Technical Institute. The CulinaryInstitute of America is located a short distance to the north inHyde Park. Dutchess Community College, Marist College,and Vassar College are located adjacent in the Town ofPoughkeepsie.

IBM has a large campus in the town of Poughkeepsie, oncereferred to as IBM's "Main Plant". In October 2008, IBM'sPoughkeepsie facility was named "Assembly Plant of the Year2008" by the editors of Assembly Magazine. Poughkeepsieremains IBM's primary design and manufacturing center forits newest mainframes and high-end Power Architectureservers, and it is also one of IBM's major softwaredevelopment centers for z/OS and for other products.

The city and surrounding region are served by two state-of-the-art hospitals. Vassar Brothers Medical Center specializesin cardiac services, cancer care and women and children’shealth services. The Medical Center is in the process of a$466 million expansion and is a major employer in the city.MidHudson Regional Hospital (formerly Saint FrancisHospital and Health Center) has been a leader in innovativemedical techniques, technology and services since 1914.

Poughkeepsie has a number of notable institutions for artsand entertainment. The Bardavon 1869 Opera House is theoldest continuously operating entertainment venue in thestate and offers an array of world class music, drama,dance and film events, while serving as the home of theHudson Valley Philharmonic. The Mid-Hudson Civic Centerhosts concerts and trade shows and has an ice rink nextdoor for hockey events. The Chance, located in downtownPoughkeepsie, hosts live rock concerts with local as well asmajor artists.

POUGHKEEPSIE – A DISTINCTIVE OPPORTUNITY

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The collections of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center atVassar College chart the history of art from antiquity to thepresent and comprise over 15,000 works, includingpaintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, andglass and ceramic wares.

Locust Grove, the home of Samuel Morse and a NationalHistoric Landmark, features representative paintings byMorse, as well as historically important examples oftelegraph technology.

The City also boasts Walkway Over the Hudson State HistoricPark, the world’s longest elevated pedestrian bridge. A NewYork State Park that opened to the public in 2009, the formerrailroad bridge provides unparalleled views of the HudsonRiver Valley and annually attracts 500,000 visitors from NewYork State and around the world.

ABOUT THE GOVERNMENTAND THE POSITION The City of Poughkeepsie operates under the mayor/councilform of government. The city is governed by eight electedCommon Council members serving two year terms. All areelected by ward. The Mayor is the chief executive officer of thecity and is elected at-large for a four year term. Although not amember of the Common Council, the Mayor may vote toapprove or disapprove a proposed ordinance, resolution orlocal law in the event of a tie vote of the Common Council.

The City Administrator is the chief administrative officer of thecity. He/she is appointed by the Mayor with the approval of theCommon Council and serves at the Mayor’s pleasure. The CityAdministrator is responsible to the Mayor for the properadministration of all affairs of the city, except those reserved toother positions. The City Administrator appoints and may removeall department heads with the exception of the CorporationCouncil and City Chamberlain (Clerk), subject to the Mayor’sconfirmation, and is generally responsible for day-to-dayadministration of the city. The Administrator assists the Mayor inthe preparation of the budget and capital projects program andis responsible for their administration after adoption.Poughkeepsie is a full-service city, including transit, sewer andwater services, and the city has a 2016 General Fund budget of$48 million with a combined budget of $83 million. The citycurrently has 338 FTE and 28 part-time employees.

ABOUT THE CANDIDATE The ideal candidate for City Administrator of the City ofPoughkeepsie should possess a Bachelor’s degree in PublicAdministration or a related field with a Master’s degree preferredand at least five to seven years of municipal managementexperience as a city manager or administrator or as an assistantcity manager or administrator (or equivalent executive position)in a city comparable in size and characteristics as Poughkeepsie.

Like many mid-sized former industrial cities in the region,Poughkeepsie experienced economic decline and tax baseerosion in recent decades caused by the significant loss ofmanufacturing jobs and much of its large retail outlets. City

government and its partners -- including the business, faith,philanthropic, non-profit and educational communities arepoised and committed to reverse that trend. Successfulexperience in guiding an urban center like Poughkeepsiethrough stabilization and growth of its tax base and economicrevitalization is, therefore, especially desirable. Similarly,experience in long range financial planning and managing abudget under stress is important.

The successful candidate will be someone who will assist theMayor in representing the city, maintain an open door policy,enjoy community engagement and who will become well-known in the community. The successful candidate will be aleader who is inspirational, has a good sense of humor, is out-going and has a sincere commitment to diversity. He/she willhave a high degree of integrity while being an excellentcommunicator who listens and is respectful of others and theiropinions.

The new City Administrator ideally will have thefollowing knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• A working knowledge of finance and budgeting includingcutback management and long range financial planningand grant writing.

• Hands-on and practical knowledge of municipal publicsafety services.

• Hands-on and practical knowledge of municipally-ownedutilities and transportation services.

• Demonstrated knowledge of economic development andredevelopment in an urban core like Poughkeepsie.

• Experience working with organized labor and unionnegotiations.

• Ability to act as an information resource for citizensregarding city services and issues.

• Demonstrated success in empowering employees andteam building.

• Experience in reorganizing government operations toachieve maximum efficiency and effectiveness.

• A commitment to diversity in the workplace and an abilityand willingness to interact with citizens of various ethnicand cultural backgrounds.

• Demonstrated ability to successfully work with othergovernments and all segments of the community.

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RESIDENCY The City Administrator is required by the City Charter to live within the City limits of Poughkeepsie within areasonable time after selection.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS The starting salary for the new City Administrator is negotiable, depending on the experience andqualifications of the successful candidate. In addition, an excellent fringe benefit package is available.Reasonable relocation expenses will also be provided to the successful candidate.

HOW TO APPLYFor additional information on this outstanding opportunity, please contact one of the following searchconsultants:

Jim Miller, Senior Vice PresidentThe Mercer Group, Inc.2119 Lake Augusta DriveMendota Heights, MN 55120612-581-9972jf_miller@outlook.com

This position is open until filled. Please send cover letters and resumes, preferably via e-mail, to one of thesearch consultants above. First review of resumes will be conducted on April 15, 2016.

Women and minority candidates are especially encouraged to apply!

The City of Poughkeepsie is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The city does not discriminateon the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status,national origin, political ideas, or disability in employment or in the provision of services.

Jim Mercer, President/CEOThe Mercer Group, Inc.5579B Chamblee DunwoodyRoad, #511Atlanta, GA 30338770-551-0403jmercer@mercergroupinc.com

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