Carmel-by-the-Sea council hires WBCP to run city administrator search

The Carmel-by-the-Sea City Council selected WBCP to lead the city administrator recruitment, voting unanimously to authorize the acting city administrator to execute an agreement with the firm. Council members said they weighed boutique firms’ owner-led attention against a larger firm’s bench and ability to meet an aggressive timeline ahead of local elections.

Acting Assistant City Administrator Marissa Bermudez told the council she had spoken with the firm's founder and secured her commitment to lead the search: "I asked Wendy Brown ... I had her commitment to handle the recruitment herself and she agreed to that," Marissa said. Mayor Burn then asked for council preferences and a motion; the motion to select WBCP, with Wendy Brown as the primary representative, was moved and seconded and carried 5–0. Council instructed staff to finalize and sign the contract (within the city administrator’s signing authority) and to schedule a kickoff meeting to define the recruitment timeline, community engagement, and interview logistics.

Council members stressed speed and clarity in the kickoff because several council members face an impending election. City Attorney Brian noted staff would confirm whether the planned preliminary kickoff discussion must occur in open session or may include closed-session preliminary steps about the selection process. Marissa said the staff has a contract template and expected to finalize the agreement within about a week so outreach and kickoff planning can begin.