And then there were five.
The Key West city manager search committee — its members each appointed by a city commissioner and the mayor — narrowed the field of 17 applicants to five during a meeting on Monday, Oct. 7.
The committee of seven forwarded their recommendations to the city commission, which was due to discuss the recommendations and the interview process at the Oct. 10 city commission meeting. Two committee members voted against the submission of the five finalists. Roger McVeigh, who was appointed by Commissioner Monica Haskell, and Commissioner Sam Kaufman, who appointed himself to the search committee, were opposed.
The five finalists are Brian Barroso, James Brownlee, Rod Delostrinos, Steve McAlearney and Mark Sohaney.
Each of the five finalists has ties to Key West, whether through past military leadership or current employment with the city. Delostrinos and McAlearney are current city employees. Sohaney, Brownlee and McAlearney have held leadership positions in the local military and as such have spent significant time in Key West working with local leaders and residents. Delostrinos is the city’s director of transportation. After serving as commander of Naval Air Station and then retiring, McAlearney began working for the city and has been director of ports and marine services. He currently serves as assistant city manager to interim city manager Todd Stoughton, who did not apply for the permanent city manager position.
Sohaney more recently preceded Capt. Beth Regoli as commander of Naval Air Station Key West, while Brownlee was the executive officer, or XO, or NAS Key West until he retired from the navy in May. Brian Barroso is a banker who has previously served on several boards, including the governor-appointed board of the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority.
The need for a new city manager was prompted by the commission’s 4 to 3 vote in June to fire city manager Al Childress without cause despite opposition from dozens of residents, who filled city hall to speak in support of him. Commissioners Kaufman and Mary Lou Hoover, along with then-mayor Teri Johnston, voted in support of Childress.
Since then, Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez has succeeded Johnston, and Commissioners Donie Lee and Monica Haskell have replaced Billy Wardlow and Jimmy Weekley, respectively, both of whom voted to fire Childress a month before they were term-limited out of office.
Kaufman, who appointed himself to serve on the newt search committee, was asked at the Oct. 7 meeting whether the committee’s work would be for naught, if Kaufman was planning to introduce a motion to rehire Childress at an upcoming commission meeting.
“Are we doing this all for nothing?” search committee chair Shawn Smith, the former Key West city attorney, who was appointed by Henriquez, asked Kaufman during the Oct. 7 committee meeting. “Are you bringing something back to the commission to rehire Al Childress?”
Kaufman said there was no motion to rehire him pending, but added that any commissioner can do so at any time.
“I’ve been very public that I feel he’s the best candidate, and in reviewing all 17 applications that we received, I still feel that way. None of the 17 have the same qualifications, so yes, it would be my preference to hire him back, but as you know, it takes four votes,” Kaufman said.
Smith replied, “Personally, I’m looking for someone who’s capable of leading the city of Key West and I’m comfortable with the work this committee has done and with the submission of these top five finalists.”
The city commission is slated to discuss the city manager search and the committee’s recommendations at its meeting on Thursday, Oct. 10, which takes place after press time.See keysweekly.com for a report from the city commission meeting.
