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To be interviewed: Paul Trombino Ill, Kara Boyles, Richard Hough, Jerome (Jay) Wilverding, Michael Reese and Robert Hemminger.
After a consultant reviewed many of the 38 candidates who have applied to become Palm Coast’s next city manager, the City Council was unimpressed, reaching a consensus to extend the request for resumes for another month.
“We can’t afford to get this decision wrong,” City Councilman Charles Gambaro said at the Jan. 28 workshop, “and there’s absolutely no reason to rush to failure. Our community deserves the right fit for us to move forward.”
At the recommendation of the consultant, Doug Thomas of Strategic Government Resources, the council did rank 16 candidates on a scale of 1 to 3, and the top 6 will be interviewed further:
Paul Trombino Ill, Kara Boyles, Richard Hough, Jerome (Jay) Wilverding, Michael Reese and Robert Hemminger.
The top local candidate, attorney and former sheriff Jim Manfre, did not make the next round.
City Councilman Ty Miller indicated a desire to try to recruit a “rockstar” who might already be serving as a city manager somewhere else.
Mayor Mike Norris indicated that he preferred a local candidate.
“I’m really leery of hiring someone from across the country,” he said. Later in the meeting, he made a plea for more local, qualified candidates: “For the community at large, apply for the job.”
City Councilwoman Theresa Pontieri was concerned that many of the candidates who applied had also applied to other searches conducted by Strategic Government Resources.
In the coming weeks, the top six candidate will be interviewed via questionnaires and video responses.
“This is a big deal for the city, and we want to do it right,” Norris said.
