Farmington City Manager Bob Hudson's recent retirement announcement, set to be effective April 1, means it is time for the City Council and mayor to review the job description for that post.

It also means the search is on for the next person to fill the role.

The Farmington city manager position is not doubt one of the most critical needs for quality leadership, not just for the city but for the entire Four Corners region, given the city's prominence as the commerce, entertainment and health leader for the area.

The city is poised to continue strong growth trends, but to truly reach the successes a city should aspire to reaching related to quality-of-life issues, it must continue seeking ways to diversify its economy and to correct shortcomings that still exist under the umbrella of city management.

There are a few key items that should be studied before any posting of a job description for city manager:

* Administration. There are several important department heads who must answer to the city manager, ranging from the police and fire chiefs to the librarian and the recreation director. They all are going to want a good boss, and that means someone obviously qualified for the job.

A boss does not necessarily have to be liked by all, but she or he must be respected. That will mean someone with proven experience at working with multiple talents and personalities, as with any administrative position of leadership. Running a city, however, is a bit different than running most other businesses, starting with the fact that many life-sustaining decisions are made throughout the year.

* Cultural diversity. Farmington has made huge strides, despite the recent summer setbacks, in its efforts to become accepted by various cultures as a truly diverse and welcoming city to the masses. It must be a priority that the incoming city manager take up where Hudson -- along with the mayor and City Council -- left off in creating new avenues to promote cultural unity within Farmington.

That means dispelling the denial that problems, though thankfully fewer of them, still exist. And it means finding ways to ensure open dialogue that can create an atmosphere where debate can involve all sides. That includes determining how best to represent the city, itself, when making its own arguments and positions known.

One other step that should not be overlooked is the consideration of minority candidates. Get the best person for the job, period. But ensure that we are colorblind when we look at the qualifications.

* Communication skills. The city recently has included in its improvement efforts attempts to provide more open government and more avenues of access for residents to get their voices heard. But are we there yet?

Not quite.

Again, there is much improvement. For it to continue making gains, people must see sincerity in the city's call for open and fair participation. Brainstorming ideas, and including others outside the city ranks in the effort, must continue all the way down to the final details.

Hudson, to his credit and to the council for backing him, issued policy statements this past autumn calling for all department heads to realize the need for cooperating with media regarding reasonable access to public dwellings and, for that matter, public officials. He also arranged various special meetings, such as agreeing to facilitate meetings between this newspaper and the Police Department's management team when a new police chief was named. These are examples of positive steps to promote openness.

Will the next step include opening the Police Department to all records that an entity like the newspaper considers public domain? For example, the city still proclaims that complaints filed against the Police Department and its personnel are closed files. We disagree, and it is these types of disputes that could, if not erased, continue to cloud perception of city openness.

Hudson will leave many fine attributes behind to mark his success.

The items listed here are but a few of the many important tasks facing the next city manager. It seems almost impossible to make the perfect hire for so many challenges that await.

Yet, that is exactly what the city leaders must try to do.