After several discussions and delays, Milledgeville City Council voted in an interim to take on the temporary role of city manager as Council and Mayor Richard Bentley conduct a search to permanently fill the position. According to Bentley, the search could take up to six months to nail down the successor to Scott Wood. And while half a year may be an extensive time to go with an interim, we certainly hope the mayor and Council will use this time to get all of their ducks in a row and conduct the examination and questioning they feel necessary to hire the right person for the job.

The issues raised by some Council members at the tail end of Wood’s tenure here in Milledgeville should be addressed upfront — rather than after a permanent city manager is selected.

If Council has questions or concerns regarding the city manager’s search — specifics on job description, duties and responsibilities, contractual issues, candidate qualification requirements, etc. — the answers should be sought as the search is conducted.

The look of City Council will change come November, as there will be at least two new members with the departure of Ken Morgan and Ken Vance. With a new city manager coming in, the shape of Milledgeville’s city government will undergo a significant change. It will be this new Council’s task to undertake the search for the permanent chief, and those running for office and re-election to their posts must begin formulating their questions now rather than later in an effort to ensure the hiring of a qualified leader with the consensus of Council.

It took a month and a half for Council to get together on naming an interim, a process that involved a special called meeting and postponement of the decision until Tuesday night. Right or wrong, it’s of little secret that the former city manager’s relationship with some members of Council was strained to say the least, but the working relationship between Council and the new city manager needs to be functional and more transparent for the betterment of city operations.

The next six months, when the new Council is voted in, will tell whether Council is ready and willing to turn the corner and begin a new chapter and relationship with the city manager’s position — with all of Council involved in shaping what they want the next chief to be and working together for some type of consensus. Now is the time to ask the questions, address the concerns and formulate the ideas to ensure that it happens.