Pahokee seeks new city manager

Posted 4/6/21

Pahokee seeks new county manager

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Pahokee seeks new city manager

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PAHOKEE – With the resignation of Pahokee City Manager Chandler Williamson, whose last day was April 2, the Pahokee City Commission will turn to the Florida City-County Managers Association or the Florida League of Cities to provide an interim manager while the city commission searches for a new manager.

At a special city meeting called April 5, Mayor Keith Babb said the city’s Financial Director Francis Batista and Community Development Director Jongelene Adams indicated they would be willing to step in to temporarily take over the duties of city manager. He suggested the city pay these individuals 30% of the former city manager’s salary with 20% to finance director and 10% to the community development director.

He said two other individuals who have indicated interest in the interim manager job are Ann Marie Sorrell of the Mosaic Group CEO and former county commissioner Priscilla Taylor.

Commissioner Clara Murvin argued in favor of current city staff handling the interim city manager duties while the city searches for a new manager.

Commissioner Sara Perez, suggested the city get someone from the League of Cities to serve as interim city manager. Babb said the League of Cities has a pool of retired city managers who can step in to help small cities while they are searching for a new city manager.

Regina Bohlen said she reached out to the Florida City-County Managers Association. For small cities, they will bring in a retired city manager and put them into place until a new city manager is hired, she said.

She said they could appoint Batista and Adams to help out until the interim person comes in.

Commissioner Juan “Johnny” Gonzalez said he also preferred to go with someone from the League of Cities. He said two city manager candidates  have reached out to him and he advised them to send their information to the city clerk.

“We’re going to have someone who can step in tomorrow morning,” said Babb. “I feel we would be better served by having someone who is already on staff.” He said if they don’t want current staff, his next choice would be someone like Taylor.

Murvin said they should let Batista and Adams handle the city manager duties with the department managers handling their own departments until a new city manager is hired. “They ran the city today,” she said.

“I don’t think it’s fair to them to have them do two jobs when we can call somebody from League of Cities and get somebody in here. That way we can go out for a nationwide search that covers everything from the other end of the country to down the street, and get somebody who is really going to do a great job for us,” said Bohlen.

Bohlen said they should not rush the process of finding a new city manager. She said they don’t know how long that is going to take. If they ask the League of Cities to fill the position with a retired manager, that person will stay as long as needed while the city has time to search for a new manager, she continued.

“That gives us plenty of time to do a real good search, with a background check, checking all the stuff that we may or may not have checked last time that we want to check this time for sure,” said Bohlen.

“I’ am going to give my opinion and I’m not going to be politically correct,” said Perez. “I do not feel comfortable with anybody in the city handling the finances any longer. I don’t and neither does the community.

“I will feel better bringing in somebody from outside,” she added.

City commissioners agreed to ask Florida League of Cities and Florida City-County Managers Association come to the April 13 meeting to explain their options. They also agreed to appoint Batista and Adams to handle the duties in the meantime.

Perez said this should have been done before the city manager left "and not allow for him to leave and leave everybody hanging."   

New Commissioners Perez and Gonzalez  were not allowed to participate in the last meeting of March -- even though they had been elected prior to that meeting --  because they were not sworn in until the very end of the meeting.  

Later in the emergency April 5 meeting, after Perez  questioned which accounts and credit cards would be involved and how much oversight the commission would have over finances, Batista  took her name out of consideration.

Babb said the commission should avoid micromanaging staff. 

The commissioners then rescinded their original resolution and passed a new resolution appointing Adams as interim city manager, with authority to pay bills from the general account, until  the Florida League of Cities or the Florida City-County Managers Association  provides an interim manager.

"There is a lack of trust in the community and I want to restore that," said Perez. 

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