ISLAMORADA COUNCIL TO VOTE ON CONTRACT PAYOUT FOR GREG ORAVEC’S EARLY EXIT

Islamorada Village Manager Greg Oravec speaks during a village council meeting. WEEKLY FILE PHOTO

Islamorada Village Manager Greg Oravec will work his final day Thursday, as village council members will convene this evening to vote on a separation agreement. 

In a  Jan. 10 resignation letter, Oravec said he believed the dais would be better served by another village manager upon reflecting on his last six months on the job. He was hired in June by the council following a search that initially saw some 80 candidates. His first day was July 1. 

Explaining his decision to council on Jan. 11, Oravec cited a lost appetite for the political dynamics that go with the job as part of the reasoning for his departure. In his letter, Oravec stated that his last day would be no later than March 31, but was open to negotiating alternate terms and timing. 

A proposed separation agreement with Oravec coming before council Thursday evening outlines that Jan. 27 will be his last day. He’ll receive salary and benefits through March 31, including pay for unused vacation leave and accrued sick leave. He’ll also get a housing allowance through March 31 that can be paid either through a lump sum or in a continuation of salary on a biweekly basis. 

The village will also pay the retirement contributions for the regular salary Oravec is receiving through March 31. 

Language within the agreement also states that Oravec and the village cannot make any public statements disparaging one another or in any way interfering with the village’s search for a new village manager and Oravec’s search for new employment. Upon consideration of a separation agreement, the dais will discuss their next steps in bringing on a new village manager and re-engaging Colin Baenziger & Associates to assist them in the process. 

Village council members will convene Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Founders Park Community Center. 

Jim McCarthy is one of the many Western New Yorkers who escaped the snow and frigid temperatures for warm living by the water. A former crime & court reporter and city editor for two Western New York newspapers, Jim has been honing his craft since he graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 2014. In his 4-plus years in the Keys, Jim has enjoyed connecting with the community. “One of my college professors would always preach to be curious,” he said. “Behind every person is a story that’s unique to them, and one worth telling. As writers, we are the ones who paint the pictures in the readers minds of the emotions, the struggles and the triumphs.” Jim is past president of the Key Largo Sunset Rotary Club, which is composed of energetic members who serve the community’s youth and older populations. Jim is a sports fanatic who loves to watch football, hockey, mixed martial arts and golf. He also enjoys time with family and his new baby boy, Lucas, who arrived Oct. 4, 2022.