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quality of the interview. <br /> Mr. Kelly averred that being articulate in an interview demonstrated how articulate a person would be in <br /> their capacity as an appointed member of a group. He supported printing the schedule of interviews up <br /> front. He advocated for building in "overflow" for the interviews. <br /> Mr. Kelly alleged that some votes were not counted correctly in the last round of appointees. He also <br /> commented that councilors should try harder to attend all of the interviews. <br /> Regarding the interview questions, Mr. Kelly noted that the council inevitably changed the questions prior <br /> to interviews. He suggested the questions be provided in advance to the council. He felt two or three of <br /> the same questions should be asked of every interviewee and then the council should be able to reserve the <br /> right to ask other questions. <br /> Ms. Walston pointed out, for new members, that some committees required an application, a supplemental <br /> questionnaire, and the interview. <br /> Mr. Kelly thought there was much redundancy between the supplemental questionnaire and the interview <br /> questions. He suggested that a single distinct application be created for the weightier groups such as the <br /> Human Rights Commission, Planning Commission, and Budget Committee. <br /> Ms. Ortiz thought a little redundancy in the line of questioning was acceptable. But she also felt that to <br /> fully engage the community, it was important to occasionally overlook a small lack of expertise or a lack <br /> of articulateness. She liked the idea of formulating applications that pertained to the particular groups. <br /> She asked, though, if there was a legal rationale for having the same questions. <br /> Mr. Poling commented that he had sat on hundreds of interview panels and all of them were obligated to <br /> ask the same questions of every applicant. He was also. curious. as to whether there was a legal rationale <br /> for doing so in this situation. <br /> Ms. Utecht surmised that there would be less exposure with volunteers because they did not receive a <br /> financial benefit as a result of being selected. She commented that one would have to be careful to ensure <br /> the same objectives were addressed. She said a question asked of one person only which caused that <br /> person to be selected. could be problematic. <br /> Mr. Poling advocated for asking the same questions for all applicants. <br /> Mr. Kelly said the only instance he in which he would want to ask an individual a unique question would <br /> be to respond to a unique response on an application or supplemental questionnaire. <br /> Mr. Poling recommended the .application process be started earlier. He said the current process made a <br /> real crunch for the Budget Committee which started the month after the interview process was completed. <br /> He also felt a procedure should be created to fill unexpected vacancies such as a matrix of second choices. <br /> Ms. Bettman wanted a standardize process for vacancies as well. She appreciated Mr. Ortiz' comments <br /> regarding being open to appointing people with other strengths. She opined that the Boards and <br /> Commissions looked homogenous to her and advocated for more diversity in the council's selections. <br /> Regarding interview questions, Ms. Bettman indicated she would like to be able to ask follow-up <br /> questions. She also wished the applications could be made "more beautiful," adding that sometimes they <br /> <br /> MINUTES-Eugene City Council February 8, 2005 Page 8 <br /> Process Session <br /> <br />