- December 20, 2024
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By February, the Palm Coast City Council could be interviewing candidates for its new city manager.
The application for the position will likely open on Friday, Nov. 22, search firm SGR’s Doug Thomas said, after the firm finalizes some changes to the application. From there, the application will be closed to new applicants on Dec. 26.
“It’s about a three-month timeline from the time you say ‘go,’” Thomas said. Thomas is the executive vice president of recruiting and leadership development at SGR.
Palm Coast is in the market for a new city manager after the council fired its previous city manager, Denise Bevan, last March. Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston is filling the position until a new city manager is chosen.
Thomas presented a draft of the application brochure to the council for approval on Nov. 19. Thomas had interviewed with each of the City Council members about what they wanted to see from a city manager and then compiled that information into the brochure created for the position application.
According to the brochure, the council is looking for someone who has experience with growth management, infrastructure challenges, project management, economic development and more.
The timeline Thomas presented to the council places SGR meeting with the first applicants in early January, narrowing down the applicant pool based on the information given to SGR from the council on what Palm Coast needs in a city manager.
While keeping in communication with the council throughout the process, SGR will narrow the applicants to semifinalists by the end of January, beginning media background checks and assessments.
The final applicants will be chosen by mid-February and will then interview with the City Council in both a one-on-one setting and during a council meeting.
While the tentative timeline is in place, it is by no means locked in. Thomas said he would be keeping the council updated about the quality and number of applicants, and if need be, the council can decide to extend the application window or even reopen it down the line, if none of the candidates are a right fit.
Pontieri said she felt that there was no reason to rush the process — instead SGR and the council should just focus on finding the individual that fits Palm Coast’s needs the best.
“Just find us our unicorn,” Pontieri told Thomas.
In an interview with the Observer, Pontieri said she thinks it is important the search “casts a wide net” and not preclude anyone from applying. She said she wants a city manager with a degree in something similar to public administration, has experience in a high-up position in a city or county and experience with a large budget, land use policy and infrastructure challenges.
While Thomas did discuss the city manager position with city staff, Pontieri said she’d like to keep the “fox from guarding the hen house” when it comes to choosing a new city manager.
“I think that staff should be largely hands off with the picking of their new boss,” Pontieri said. “I think it's important that City Council pick a city manager that they're confident will be able to carry out their policy.”
The qualities the council are looking for in a candidate could cost more than the city has paid a city manager in the past, though. Comparing Palm Coast to nearby cities of a similar size, most of the cities pay their city managers between $200,000-$290,000, according to meeting documents. Johnston has a salary of $189,000.
While Thomas said the city could expect to pay a qualified city manager in the $200,000-$245,000 range, not including a benefits package, he recommended that the city leave out the pay range from the application.
That, he said, would weed out some candidates on its own.
Council member Charles Gambaro Jr. said his discussion with Thomas was productive. He said he’s looking for someone who can help bring jobs to Palm Coast, understands land-use policy and what it means for the city’s future when the council acts on an item.
A strong candidate should also be able to synthesize “a ton of information in a very short amount of time,” he said. Gambaro also said one of his key priorities was that the council does not hire someone who had been fired from positions frequently within the several years.
“I want to see city managers with a proven track record they can work with different administrations and councils over time to drive positive change,” he said.
Thomas pointed out the national average tenure of a city manager is five to seven years, which can in part be attributed to political reasonings: a new council could be sworn in and decide it doesn’t work well with that manager and replace them.
With the chaos of Palm Coast’s political stage over the last year — a distrust in council members, the immediate and sudden firing of City Manager Denise Bevan in the spring and the replacement of four of five council members — Thomas told the Observer that this could present a problem for some applicants.
“The fact that you [the city] have had turnover in this position represents a bit of a challenge,” he said. “There are some managers that are very risk averse, and they're not going to apply to a position where there's been turnover.”
Other candidates recognize that the political aspect is part of the job, he said, and accept that as a challenge.
“Those are the type of candidates we’re trying to find for this position,” Thomas said.
