A promising leader, a missed opportunity

Two things seemed crystal clear to a casual observer listening as the Aurora City Council confirmed the appointment of Adam Darbro as Aurora’s new city administrator: 1. Darbro appears to have widespread support and has earned the opportunity to prove he is up to the challenge; 2. City leaders missed an opportunity to gain community trust by not being transparent about the pending transition and/or opening the position up for a candidate search.
Those two factors are unrelated, though Mayor Marlin Seeman created a scenario which combined them during a council discussion which ended with a 5-1 vote. Council member Esther Bergen was the lone no vote, though she explained that her intent was to voice concern for the process, not Darbro’s appointment.
First and foremost, Darbro spoke with confidence and poise during what had to be a somewhat stressful council meeting from his perspective. Since learning about the pending vacancy, the Aurora native had obviously spoken to members of the council and community, seeking input and voicing his opinions on city affairs. Those conversations were apparently productive and convincing, given the broad support voiced by those who addressed the council. 
To his credit, Darbro’s first comments after moving to the head of the table, a seat he will now fill as city administrator, was to address the issue of the city’s perceived lack of transparency head on.
“To touch on what Esther has responded to and anybody that I talked to prior to taking this position, I want to stress that we do need more transparency,” he said, referring to concerns voiced earlier by Bergen. “I agree wholeheartedly. We don’t have anything to hide and so we need to make sure that if somebody wants to know something, feel free to come talk to us. Everything we do is public. Our wages are paid by you guys, so if anybody has any questions about our budget, how we run things, feel free to come talk to us.”
Darbro has shown his leadership abilities in recent weeks while dealing with the Gambles building status as well as gathering information and input which led to passage of an ordinance to allow golf carts and utility vehicles on Aurora city streets. He has done an admirable job as public works director, which includes complex and detail-oriented zoning administrator duties that by nature can stir mixed opinions. The lone question is, does he have the financial savvy he’ll need to help guide the city out of its financial crisis, which is as yet unproven.
Congratulations to Adam Darbro for your 10 years of service to the community and reputation as a good listener and leader, which has earned you this important opportunity. We wish you great success.
While Darbro’s appointment appears to be a strong one, the process that brought him to the role left room for concern. As for the mayor’s decision not to share the news of former city administrator Rick Melcher’s pending retirement, there really is no sound explanation. Melcher was hired from within 10 years ago with the same public works background, after an open search, so there was already a precedent which could have and should have been followed. As it was, the mayor holding that information close to the vest and publicly announcing his nomination of Darbro two days later invited criticism for lack of transparency, which city leaders heard loudly and clearly last September.
Hopefully Mr. Darbro can help change the culture of secrecy sooner rather than later.
— Kurt Johnson