Roswell plans to hire a chief operating officer whom officials consider to be a “whale” earning $340,000 annually.
The person will oversee staff and city operations but will not be a Roswell employee. The new chief operating officer will be a contractor for three years for the city while an employee of Seer World consulting firm.
Roswell officials declined to publicly name the individual but plan to do so at a later date.
Before voting on this first-time approach for Roswell administration, Councilwoman Sarah Beeson said she believes hiring a COO as a Seer contractor could pose a potential conflict of interest.
Councilman Allen Sells said that the person recommended by Seer has a unique set of “skills, contacts and experience” needed for potential projects that Roswell has “in the pipeline.”
Seer is Roswell’s economic development consultant. In April, council approved paying the firm up to $2 million per year through 2029 for services. The new chief operating officer will be paid out of those funds, according to the city.
During a regular meeting on Monday, City Council amended Seer’s contract to allow for the plan of action and approved the COO salary. Mayor Pro Tem Will Morthland led the meeting; Mayor Kurt Wilson was absent.
The measures were approved in split votes with Sells and Councilwomen Lee Hills and Christine Hall voting in favor. Councilman David Johnson opposed amending Seer’s contract and abstained from voting on the chief operating officer role and salary.
Councilwoman Sarah Beeson voted in opposition to both measures.
The new COO’s salary will total up to $1,020,000 at the end of his three-year contract period. The person will spend 75% of their time on city matters and 25% with Seer. In the Roswell administration, the COO will report to City Administrator Randy Knighton, who earns a lower salary.
The person will replace Richard Rhinehart who resigned in January after working 10 months in the position. Rhinehart’s annual salary on staff was $198,000.
Beeson said she is concerned about an unintentional abuse of power of the new executive. While simultaneously working as a Seer employee and Roswell COO, the person would manage staff who oversee task orders from the consulting firm. The individual would also be in charge of performance reviews for Roswell staff, promotions and more, Beeson said.
Sells and Hills said Roswell must keep moving forward on projects.
Seer founder Peter Sorckoff has already helped Roswell partner with the United Soccer League on a plan to build a stadium for professional women’s and men’s soccer teams. And the city is planning a $20 million dollar parking deck at a controversial location as well as new pedestrian walkways that lead to the heart of the downtown district.
“We are whale hunting for some of these things,” Sells said. “My background is private equity. You bring in people for specific functions for a period time that you need, and they are specialists in that. He’s here for a particular purpose to actively pursue projects that we’re actively working on. I want to see some of these deals close. And I want to see us execute on them for the benefit of Roswell.”
Hills added, “We’re loading an arsenal here of people who are talented.”
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