Human Resources Director Mason leads workshop discussion
With Oct. 15 set as Sarasota City Manager Marlon Brown’s last day before retirement, and Deputy City Manager Pat Robinson having informed the City Commission that he is not interested in serving as interim city manager, the commissioners have agreed to hire an executive firm to handle a nationwide search for Brown’s replacement.
In the meantime, following discussion during a Sept. 9 workshop, they directed Human Resources Director Stacie Mason to work on a process for finding an interim city manager.
In regard to his stance on succeeding Brown in any capacity, Robinson explained, “As you all know, the city manager job is a high-contact position within our organization …” Given factors involving his personal life as well as his professional life, he continued, “I’d really like more time to … work in my current capacity with our partner organizations.”
Robinson noted that he had been serving the city for the past 23-and-a-half years, “So I’m looking to do maybe 10 more before you guys kick me out the door.”
Prior to Brown’s naming him deputy city manager in January 2021, Robinson was the deputy chief of the Sarasota Police Department.
Robinson acknowledged the “time crunch” — with 39 days left as of that day — before Brown leaves and promised that he and Masion would work as quickly as possible to help the commissioners choose an interim manager.
Mason talked about the potential of a current “senior-level executive” on city staff serving in the interim capacity, as well as her working with the Florida League of Cities and the Florida City and County Management Association (FCCMA) on what she called “Members-in-Transition” — such as retired city managers or former city managers seeking new positions — who might be interested in the Sarasota position.
Commissioner Erik Arroyo did bring up the idea of electing a “strong mayor,” instead of hiring a new city manager. However, both Mayor Liz Alpert and Vice Mayor Jen Ahearn-Koch reminded him that city residents repeatedly have voted against that option.
The last time the idea was broached — in 2022, after members of a commission-appointed committee reviewed the City Charter for potential changes — the majority of the city commissioners voted against holding a referendum on the proposal. On that occasion, commissioners also cited the lack of citizen support in the past for an elected mayor.
During the Sept. 9 meeting, Arroyo pointed out that the Nov. 5 General Election could result in a change of membership on the commission, as the three district seats are being contested. “If we wanted the greatest net and the greatest stakeholder input,” he said, especially given the fact “that we are becoming a bigger city,” the strong mayor option would be the best. That person, he stressed, “would have to win the support of every single stakeholder organization in the city.”
The strong mayor, he added, “would be somebody who knows the issues, who knows the organizations, who has been vetted by the public in numerous forums and then would come in as a professional.”
Not only have city voters defeated the strong mayor proposal during referenda, Ahearn-Koch pointed out, but “we know statistically [that] the most successful cities in the state of Florida [have the] city manager form of government …”
Commissioner Debbie Trice added that in big cities, the staffs are large enough to be able to provide the necessary expertise on issues in advising an elected mayor, and those cities have universities where people can earn master’s degrees in public administration. “That means the person who runs for the mayor’s job has actually the same level of experience that we would be looking for in a city manager,” Trice noted.
In Sarasota, she said, “I seriously doubt we have enough people who are … citizens of the city … who have masters of public administration and experience leading cities.”
Mayor Alpert also pointed out that it would take two years to get a strong mayor referendum on the ballot. Yet, City Manager Brown’s retirement timeline, she said, makes it necessary for the commissioners to put someone in that leadership position far sooner.
Recommendation for a search firm and interim manager options
In her presentation to the commissioners, Human Resources Director Mason suggested the hiring of a search firm for the permanent replacement for Brown. “There is a number in Florida that specialize in public placement of city managers,” she noted.
In response to a question from Trice, Mason said she anticipated it would take “anywhere from four to six months” to hire a new manager after a national search, with the longer timeframe more likely.
When Alpert questioned that timeline, Mason reminded her that Mason had been speaking about the search for a new manager. She would be bringing back options in regard to the hiring of the interim manager, Mason said.
“We are very cognizant of the timeline,” Robinson stressed. “Stacie’s team has been working on developing that short-term interim process to bring back to you guys ASAP, with the understanding,” he added, “that we’ll start the executive national search at the same time to make sure that they are as close together as possible.”
Mason told the board members that she could provide them information regarding searches that specific firms have undertaken, including “some of their postings for you to review,” along with estimates of their fees, if possible. “Hopefully, that will be within the next month or two when we can get that on [a meeting agenda] for you to review. … Whoever we engage,” she continued, “we will let them know [the work] needs to be expedited.”
Replying to questions about that process, Mason explained that once a firm has been engaged, one of its first protocols would be for its representatives to meet with the commissioners to determine the qualities they would be looking for in a new manager.
She added, “The commission will create the process they want. It’s important in our community to have community input.” Mason also noted, “Our expectations of any firm that we do select is they are going to take our guidance [in regard to the search].”
Robinson emphasized, “No one is going to come in here and tell you as the body politic what you’re going to select. … You tell them exactly how you want this to go, and they’ll use experience to frame that successfully on the back end.”
In regard to the interim post, both Ahearn-Koch and Trice indicated support for the hiring of someone in the Members-in-Transition group.
“My reasoning,” Ahearn-Koch said, “is because it’s a group of folks who have already done this job and could probably step in with very little learning curve. They are all folks from Florida, I believe, so they understand statutes and how different it is here,” compared to other states.
Ahearn-Koch also expressed support for at least one public interview during the process of selecting the interim manager.
Trice noted that the candidates from the League of Cities “are individuals who have had experience leading other cities, so they may be bringing new ideas, and as they are in the role, they may be giving us additional thoughts on ‘Gee, we ought to be looking for that in the permanent city manager.’ ”
Nonetheless, Ahearn-Koch did ask Mason how it would work if the commissioners chose someone on staff to serve in the interim role. Would the commission have to fill that person’s position, Ahearn-Koch asked.
“No,” Mason replied. If a department director were chosen, she indicated, a manager or general manager in the same department likely would be named the acting director.
Discussion also ensued over whether the interim manager would be allowed to apply for the permanent position, with Trice and Ahearn-Koch offering ideas about the pros and cons of that.
Mason told the commissioners that if they offer the option of the interim manager’s being hired for the permanent position, “That opens [the candidate pool] up a little bit more.”
Ahearn-Koch did say she would prefer that the interim manager be someone who already lives in Sarasota County, if not the city itself. “I wouldn’t want somebody traveling from Tampa every day,” she pointed out.
Discussion also arose about the commission’s granting an exemption to an interim manager from outside the county, as the city’s policy calls for the manager to live within the city limits.
That would provide flexibility for candidates, Robinson said, “so someone didn’t have to look for a $6,500 apartment downtown.”
Mason noted that if someone from outside the region were to be hired, it would be likely that the individual would come for the week and return home on the weekends. “We want to provide the flexibility, knowing the cost of living in our immediate area.”