The West Central (MN) Tribune reported last week that the Spicer city attorney had explained that the city council was hiring a mediator to help address internal personnel issues. The city’s two-person personnel committee will hire the mediator, who will help the city address personnel issues and process.
The city attorney, Barry Darval, zeroed in on the key benefits of mediation in a workplace setting: mediation should improve the city government’s efficiency and productivity. Though “the bottom line” can be difficult for public sector managers and not-for-profit administrators to quantify, mediation can help them meet their goals, just as workplace mediation can help in the private sector.