6 Candidates for Port Orange Interim City Manager
6 Candidates for Port Orange Interim City Manager
Port Orange, FL – The search for Greg Kisela’s temporary – and possibly permanent – replacement is formally underway in Port Orange.
6 candidates were placed on a short list from a field of 65 names during a special Port Orange City Council meeting Thursday at POCC chambers on City Center Circle.
All the candidates placed on the short list will be called by city staff to set up an on-site interview with the POCC during a special luncheon and meeting on August 12th. Those interviews are pending the passing of a background check.
Those 6 candidates were agreed upon unanimously following a discussion by the POCC.
Among those selected were former North Miami Beach City Manager and Okeechobee County Administrator Lyndon Bonner. He was also the City Manager at Bunnell from May 2002 to May 2006 and currently lives in Ocala.
Also chosen were 2 former Delray Beach city managers. Louie Chapman just left his post earlier this month, while David Harden served for just under 23 years before he retired in January 2013. Harden was also the City Manager of Winter Park for 12 years.
Mark Palesh is the only one of the 6 candidates who doesn’t live from Florida. He’s a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force who’s currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Magellan Group in Salt Lake City, a propery development firm. He lives in the Utah town of Midvale and was previously the City Manager for the Alaska town of Juneau and Niagara Falls (NY).
Rounding out the list is John Schneiger – a Sarasota resident and the former City Manager for New Port Richey and the Colorado town of Montrose – and Gary Shimun. He’s a Pembroke Pines resident who was the former Town Administrator for Davie. Both of those cities are South Florida suburbs.
Among those who did not make the cut is former Holly Hill City Manager Jim McCroskey.
The POCC is expected to offer a contract to 1 of the 6 finalists on August 19th and the new hire is expected to be in place tentatively by September 2nd.
Whoever the new hire is will be in place for around 6 to 9 months until the POCC decides on a permanent replacement. They’ll be given a chance to apply for the permanent position.
Kisela’s final day as Port Orange manager is Friday as he leaves to Destin to take over again as their City Manager. Assistant City Manager Shannon Lewis will handle his duties until the new interim City Manager is hired by the POCC.
Both Kisela and Lewis are among 6 high-ranking Port Orange staff members who have resigned since June due at least in part to tensions between city staff, elected officials and certain members of the public who’ve publicly complained about how the city’s handling several key issues, namely the discovery of over $400,000 worth of unauthorized water meter purchases.
posted www.popdradiolog.com
Now there are 5 candidates. Palesh dropped out.
It’s really a roll of the dice as to who we will wind up with. Some of them are short term EX/C/M’s some 23 years, ex/military who worked for a property development firm (Riverwalk here we come?)
The bottom line is that whoever gets the job will have to work at the direction of council or he will be floundering around like a fish out of water. From what I see of council, they themselves do a pretty good job of floundering around.
Smart man !
Hank, I think I”m in love with you….only kidding. What a fantastic job you did on the Google Searches on the candidates. The Mayor and Council can’t plead ignorance if they read all of them. I’ve read them all and have already found a few “bad apples” and I’m just a dumb daisy.
This entire process if asinine. Donna Steinenbach did this job before and she should be doing it again until and outside independent agency finds us a suitable City Manager.
The City Council who are supposed to lead us have no clue how to do it and are digging themselves into a deep hole. Hope someone is around to throw them a rope so they can climb out. Out of 65 they pick 6..now down to 5. Watching them play tick tack tow in picking the 6 was funny. They are so unprofessional.
Mazie, and I hope you really are a female, it is good that you don’t fall in love with me. My work productivity sometimes turns out good, but my personality is a draw back. You don’t want to meet some authors or talk show hosts and ruin your imagined perception of a persona which very well may not be there.
some years ago on my first web site, a male reader stated that he was in love with Ann Coultner. LOL, his wife is probably still wondering about that.
when I was 10 years old I fell in love with Joyce, one of the 4 team members of Captain Midnight staring on the daily radio serial production. LOL
The city council certainly needs to allow the candidates to defensively explain some of the reported past problems found in a google search. If one were to google search and read some of our blogs on this web site, I am sure that some of the perceptions written here are not entirely accurate.
by the way, I have learned from one of my readers that the comment section on my web site is not working correctly. Some time this week, if Port Orange politics calm down (I don’t think it will) I will try to fix my web site’s comment section. In the mean time keep blogging here. If you really want to get an opinion posted on my web site, temporarily e mail me at poimages@outlook.com
Thank you Mazie, glad you found the google search interesting.