PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE TALK POSTPONED AFTER MEETING GOES LATE INTO NIGHT

A rendition of the Founders Park Pedestrian Bridge project by the Florida Department of Transportation. CONTRIBUTED

Discussion regarding the Florida Department of Transportation’s pedestrian bridge project by Founders Park was set to begin as 11 p.m. approached on Dec. 17. Council agreed, however, to table the topic to the next meeting to allow for talks and the public to chime in at a better hour. 

Members on the dais convened for their second meeting together and final meeting of 2020 inside the Founders Park Community Center in what was a hybrid-style meeting. Twenty items filled the agenda, including discussion to start the village manager vacancy process and talks regarding grinder pump maintenance in the village. 

By time the dais reached the pedestrian bridge, councilman Henry Rosenthal elected to move the topic to council’s next meeting 2021. An update was going to be given by acting village manager Maria Bassett after the village council requested staff compile a timeline of council actions and other events with support documents related to the project. 

“I can’t expect people to stay awake until 11 o’clock,” Rosenthal said. “The major thing is transparency. I heard it over and over we’re not being fair to a lot of people.”

Council delved into discussion regarding the village manager search and four options available for the selection process. Following the resignation of then-manager Seth Lawless in late August, council voted to appoint Maria Bassett, who was finance director, to the position of acting village manager through March 1, 2021. 

Council can extend Bassett’s service as acting manager if more time is needed to seek a candidate for the full-time position as village manager. 

Ken Parker, volunteer senior advisor with the Florida City and County Managers Association, spoke via Zoom to the council as he outlined the options: the village could hire an executive search team to develop a profile of characteristics for its next manager; the village could also handle the recruitment process internally, including background checks and verifications; work with a senior advisor through the recruitment process; or select an internal candidate without going through a recruitment process. 

In the end, council agreed with the village staff’s recommendation to move forward with an executive search firm, develop a request for proposals and work with the FCCMA senior advisor. 

“We need to get this executive search agency going as soon as possible,” Mayor Buddy Pinder said. 

Councilman David Webb expressed some concern over the lack of longevity in the village’s previous managers. Webb said longevity and stability are vital to the village’s success.

“We have a responsibility to set the table to whoever comes after us,” he said. “There’s a couple things the previous outgoing council had done, one in regards to the staggered terms, which they could have done without them being directly involved with the results of that because they were all leaving. 

“I really support an outside third party,” he continued. ”But do we need to figure out what’s going good and going bad in order to determine what kind of candidate we’re looking for?”

Councilman Pete Bacheler said using a senior advisor will alleviate some of Webb’s concerns. 

“We need help and the direction,” Bacheler said. “The senior advisor is going to give us that direction.”

In other matters, the council appointed Webb as a primary member and Pinder as an alternate member to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. Council also appointed Bacheler to serve as a primary member and councilman Mark Gregg as an alternate on the Florida Keys Transportation Coordination Committee

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.