Days are passing by as an important Aug. 1 date looms over the village of Islamorada. By then, the village administrative building will have said “good bye” to Manager Ted Yates, whose contract expires July 31 — a village council majority elected not to renew his contract on July 17.
Now, a more urgent matter is before the dais to find a temporary manager until a plan is hashed to search for a permanent replacement. During a special July 20 meeting, Attorney John Quick outlined options to select an interim manager and recommended the dais select one council member to act as a liaison between possible candidates and the governing body.
Following a back-and-forth discussion, the dais didn’t come to consensus on a person to take on that duty. Each council member will look to bring back names they believe would suit the job for the short term at a special call meeting sometime next week. No meeting time and date has been set as of Friday afternoon.
Councilwoman Elizabeth Jolin asked Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney to take on the liaison role since she wasn’t a part of the previous council that selected Yates as manager. Councilman Mark Gregg believed Mayor Buddy Pinder was suited for the job due to his notoriety within the county and state, as well as his experience selecting managers twice before in the village.
While Mahoney declined to take on the duty, she brought forth a candidate she believed could get the job done in the village in the short term. His name? John Gallant.
A Plantation Key resident, Gallant formerly ran a construction company that operated in 33 states. He’s the licensed partner for the real estate company Engel & Völkers Islamorada. Gallant took to the podium to share his credentials and strengths with the council. He also proposed a few changes to the charter to address the way the village conducts business.
“I don’t have anything going on development wise, I don’t have the business interests, I’m a fairly neutral sort of person,” he said. “What I would like to do is help carry this forward a little bit so we’re functioning a little bit better. Then you can find somebody that wants to do that job permanently.”
Quick said the council could look internally for a temporary village manager. Maria Bassett, finance director, served as interim manager following the resignation of former managers Seth Lawless and Greg Oravec.
The dais could also select someone within the community, like Gallant, or go with a former city manager that may take the position on a temporary basis. Quick said he reached out to the headhunting firm Baker Tilly and the International City/County Management Association for possible candidates the council could examine.
“We’re going to have to do this in a quick time period,” Quick said.
On July 20, Baker Tilly offered a proposal to the village with three manager candidates who are ready to take the position. They were David Boesch, who formerly served as interim manager for two California cities; Dale Sugerman, former town manager with Lake Park, Highland Beach and Briny Beaches in Florida; and James Holgersson, former city manager of Arlington, Texas.
Quick also recommended the council request a transition memo from Yates that contains key information, including important contacts, outstanding projects, pending development applications and any pending legislative items. An exit interview with Yates is also required per his contract. That will likely be performed by Evie Engelmeyer, human resource director. Jolin requested the interview be sent to the council in written form.
The July 20 special call meeting included 12 items on the agenda. The council opted to decline a minor conditional use and site plan approval for improvements to vacant property on 146 Sunshine Blvd., located not far from Plantation Tropical Preserve. The dais directed staff to plant trees and forgo any plans for a gazebo, parking and picnic tables. The dais also dealt with a road abandonment request and several fixes to village code, among other items.
