Mayor-elect Wade Kapszukiewicz has suffered a small but significant setback in assembling a new team to run city government. He should turn that setback to his advantage.

It was widely assumed during the campaign that that two well-respected local administrators close to Mr. Kapszukiewicz — Mike Beazley and David Mann — would be piloting the administration. Mr. Beazley, currently the city administrator of Oregon, is the most experienced public administrator in our region, and the most politically savvy. Mr. Mann runs the Land Bank and is generally thought to be the most capable young public administrator around. (Since there aren’t many, that understates his ability.)

BEHIND THE EDITORIAL: Kapszukiewicz needs a team of professionals

Now both men have made clear that they will be advising the new mayor informally but will not be leaving their current posts.

Mr. Beazley will likely still be in the thick of things. He says his job will be to “think” — about long-range questions and policy matters — which mayors and managers in city government do not typically have the time to do.

So who will make the trains run on time? Who will run the operations shop?

Mr. Kapszukiewicz should look outside Toledo.

He should go with a pro.

He should not hire a prominent Democrat, someone who supported his campaign with enthusiasm, or someone who has served at a high level in Toledo government in the past. There is no point in Mr. Kapszukiewicz’s election if he hires another crony or hack. And if he does so, he will fail.

Three things doomed the administration of Paula Hicks-Hudson: She was not a natural leader. She surrounded herself with marginally competent people and political hangers-on. She never perceived, and therefore never corrected the first two weaknesses.

Mr. Kapszukiewicz has a chance to hire the very best for Toledo city administration, and by doing so transform our local government from one of the least responsive and effective in Ohio to one of the most responsive and effective.

The new mayor has told friends and supporters that he intends to conduct a national search for his chief of staff (the de facto city manager or deputy mayor), for the finance chief, and for the head of economic development. He should stick with that plan and not let anyone talk him out of it. The deputy chief of staff, or chief operating officer, could be the person on the team with local political antennae. Every mayor needs political skills and expertise to survive.

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But modern mayors need technical help to thrive. Mr. Kapszukiewicz can transform city government with professional appointments in these three spots. He can surely pluck the younger No. 2 or No. 3 administrators in these respective fields from other cities.

But it is particularly important that the new chief of staff be a professional city administrator — someone who understands operations, efficiencies, and new technologies. 

The new mayor didn’t recruit his best buds for full-time work in the administration, but that may be a blessing. It is certainly an opportunity. Undertake a national search, Mr. Mayor. Get the best help available. Get a pro.

First Published November 26, 2017, 12:30 p.m.