At a contentious meeting one month ago, four Key West city commissioners voted to fire City Manager Al Childress. The same meeting saw commissioners Sam Kaufman and Mary Lou Hoover call for a special meeting on Aug. 26 to consider rehiring Childress.
The date of that special meeting is noteworthy, as it occurs six days after the Aug. 20 primary election, which will put a new mayor and at least two new city commissioners on the dais.
Incoming Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez and commissioner Donie Lee ran unopposed for their new seats, and the District 1 commission race, with just two candidates running — Monica Haskell and Ben Hennington — will be decided in the primary. The District 6 race, with three candidates — Aaron Castillo, Thaddeus Cohen and Marci Rose — will be decided on Nov. 5 unless one of those three captures more than 50% of the vote on Aug. 20.
Kaufman, Hoover and Lissette Carey are the only three current lawmakers who will remain on the dais. Carey was among the four who voted to fire Childress, so Kaufman and Hoover are hoping two of the new officials will join them in voting to rehire him.
Wait, not so fast
Before that special meeting takes place, the commission meets for its regular session on Aug. 8, when a specific section of the city code could slow down a potential rehiring, although opinions are mixed about the repercussions.
Section 2-143 of the Key West Code of Ordinances specifies the process for selecting a new city manager, and states, “Any contract between the City and its City Manager shall include a minimum of 6 months’ notice of non-renewal, resignation or retirement in order to allow for sufficient planning purposes.”
It further states that within a month of determining the need for a new city manager, “the city commission shall: Revise, if necessary, the job description and minimum qualifications; approve an application form; establish an area of search for potential candidates and if necessary establish timelines for advertising the position, conducting interviews and selecting a manager.”
City Attorney Ron Ramsingh told the Keys Weekly on July 18 that a city commissioner “will sponsor a resolution for the Aug. 8 meeting as per that ordinance in order to set the process and expectations for the search.”
Kaufman, when asked last week about Section 2-143, said he doesn’t think it applies in this case because Childress’ contract was terminated. It was not a case of “non-renewal, resignation or retirement” as outlined in the code.
“I don’t think that section restricts the new commission from rehiring Al Childress,” Kaufman said. “I’m certainly open to discussion about what the new commission wants to do, but to engage in another lengthy search process with a consultant and interviews may not be in the best interest of the city.
“I’m more curious about why this outgoing commission is making this decision at what will be the very last meeting for most of those who voted to fire Mr. Childress,” Kaufman added. “The new commission will have full authority to decide how it wants to hire a city manager.”
So much for easing into their new positions and taking some time to get their feet wet. The new mayor and commissioners will face daunting decisions at their very first meeting on Aug. 26. Stay tuned.
