High court upholds hiring of city manager
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HELENA — The Montana Supreme Court has upheld a Lake County District Court’s 2014 ruling that the hiring of Polson City Manager Mark Shrives was adequately disclosed to the public.
“The City of Polson took considerable steps to conduct its hiring process in an open and transparent manner,” Montana Supreme Court Justice Beth Baker wrote in the Feb. 24 ruling. “The Commission did not comply with the open meeting laws, however, when it closed its executive session without first determining that the demands of individual privacy clearly exceeded the merits of public disclosure. Because the Commission did not finalize its hiring decision until it held two additional open, public meetings, we conclude that the District Court did not abuse its discretion by declining to void the Commission’s decision to present an offer letter for the position of city manager to Shrives.”
A group of Polson residents formed a corporation called Citizens for Open Government and sued in 2013, saying that it was illegal for the city commission to close a meeting where the decision to hire Shrives was made, although public meet and greet of candidates was held.
Lake County District Court Judge James A. Manley ruled against the group in 2014.
