Commission launches town manager challenge

APRIL FOOLS  — 

The Longboat Key Town Commission reached consensus to take on a nationwide search for a permanent town manager.

David Bullock, who took on the role of interim town manager Nov. 1, is still considered the leading candidate for the town commission. But, for the selection process to be fair, the commission gave the town attorney direction for a streamlined, five-step approach to the search.

First, establish a committee to establish subcommittees for each remaining step of the process. Then, appoint an interim interim town manager for short-term leadership. The next step is the easy part: Drum up enthusiasm from qualified candidates about what the job entails by sending them information packets that include an executive summary of the past five years’ worth of firefighter contract negotiations, DVDs of all 29 Longboat Key Club and Resort public hearings and a preview pamphlet of the upcoming zoning code review. Next, set up a hotline to solicit feedback from residents about how management searches typically work in the private sector. The, narrow the pool to 10 qualified applicants for a special “America’s Next Town Manager” challenge to determine the man (or woman) for the job.

The town attorney appeared perplexed by the commission’s instruction to appoint an interim interim town manager at an April 1 meeting.

“Does anyone have Terry Lewis’ number?” he asked.

Lewis, whose latest management gig has taken him to the Sarasota City Commission Chambers, declined the potential offer through a spokeswoman, who said that he is already on retainer to lead the next three Sarasota County municipalities that decide to fire their managers.

Although it’s unclear what direction the town will head in in the interim, the commission made it clear that candidates for the position will face tough competition. Challenges will likely test candidates’ strength, requiring them to lift the town’s 14,028-page Comprehensive Beach Management Plan; a spelling quiz that asks candidates to spell “writ of certiorari”; and an endurance challenge, in which remaining candidates will fight to be the last person still awake at the end of a Planning & Zoning Board discussion of Publix’s parking lot.

Like the town attorney, Bullock appeared confused by the commission’s direction, but he continues to follow a strict training regiment: He’s at Town Hall by 7:30 a.m. every morning and is meeting with Key citizens to generate feedback about how to approach the challenge. He keeps a list of the citizens with whom he has met. By now, that list includes the names of 4,376 people, four loggerhead sea turtles and three dogs who want access to the beach.

While candidates train for the permanent position, residents have already worried about the interim interim position. Many have pointed out that in businesses, interim interim leadership positions usually become interim.