- November 1, 2024
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Despite one councilman's push to end the city's search for a city manager early and hire its sole internal candidate — interim City Manger Beau Falgout — the Palm Coast City Council will finish the hiring process as planned, and interview six candidates, Falgout included, in the coming weeks.
The six who will be interviewed are Falgout, Donald Kewley, James Drumm, Ken Kelly, Matthew Morton and Robin Hayes.
"I just really want to make sure that we are vetting every single opportunity and making a thoughtful decision moving forward on what else could possibly be out there, and what we’re looking at."
— MILISSA HOLLAND, Palm Coast mayor
When council members listed their top choices during a special meeting Feb. 19, Falgout was the only one who'd been chosen by all of the five council members. Morton had been selected by four council members, and Kewley, Drumm and Hayes had each been selected by three council members.
"It's no secret that I have strong feelings that Beau is our guy," Councilman Jack Howell said at the meeting. "He's bright; he’s articulate; he's done a fantastic job filling in; he’s been in the city; he knows the stuff that goes on in the city. And obviously, we feel that he's a good, strong contender. Let's just cut the crap and go right out and just say 'Beau, you’ve got it.'"
Falgout, 38, has worked for the city for 12 years: He was assistant city manager until former City Manager Jim Landon was fired in September 2018. He'd started as a planner.
Morton was most recently the city administrator of Duvall, Washington, and held other administrative and planning positions in local governments in Washington. Kewley is operations manager for the city of Ashland, Oregon, and previously was a senior project manager for Pacific Gas and Electric. Drumm is city manager of Brunswick, Georgia, and was previously city manager of High Springs, Florida. Hayes is city manager of Mount Dora, Florida, and former city manager of Oviedo, Florida.
"My feeling is, [Falgout] is like a piece of clay, and this is our opportunity to take a young man that has grown up in this city, as various departments, and we can mold him with the proper leadership to make him a fantastic manager," Howell added. "Because what I'm afraid of is, he has opportunities out there, and he can move on and we’re going be at a loss. And I don’t want to see that happen."
Mayor Milissa Holland said it's typical, when councils seek a new manager, that all council members will advance the internal candidate.
Doug Thomas — representing Strategic Government Resources, the firm hired to manager the city's search for applicants — said he'd seen the pattern as well.
"What the mayor says is certainly what we see on a regular basis," he said.
"I really feel strongly that we have to see this through," Holland said. "I just really want to make sure that we are vetting every single opportunity and making a thoughtful decision moving forward on what else could possibly be out there, and what we’re looking at."
Council members Eddie Branquinho, Bob Cuff and Nick Klufas also wanted to finish the planned hiring process.
Klufas said that even if the council ultimately chooses Falgout, it would be better to do so after having him compete against other candidates. Cuff said he thought cutting the process short would be a disservice to Falgout if he is selected, because he'd then have to counter the impression that he didn't have to compete equally.
"We need to show, publicly, that we have done the homework," Cuff said.
