Commission votes unanimously on interim county administrator

A discussion on how to find Sarasota County's next administrator ended quickly Monday when commissioners agreed on an internal candidate to at least serve in an interim role. 

The Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to appoint Assistant County Administrator Jonathan Lewis as the interim county administrator, effective Dec. 8. In the meantime, the commission asked that current County Administrator Tom Harmer work with Lewis to give him more responsibilities and let him interact more with the commission.

Harmer will vacate the position in December, and will take over as Longboat Key’s town manager in January.

Lewis has been in his position for about four months, after serving as North Port’s city manager for almost six years. He has been involved in several county projects, like the Legacy Trail and bringing the Atlanta Braves to the county for spring training.

“I’m very surprised and gratified that the board trusts me in that interim role,” Lewis said after the meeting, adding that he was looking forward to working more with each of the commissioners.

When commissioners began discussing how they wanted to move forward with filling Harmer’s position at a meeting Aug. 21, Lewis’ name came up quickly. Commissioner Al Maio made a motion to appoint Lewis, though other commissioners were hesitant to make the final decision so soon. But everyone was content with Lewis for the job.

“I’m very, very satisfied with the person that Commissioner Maio has mentioned,” Chair Paul Caragiulo said.

Commissioner Michael Moran said Lewis is “very qualified” and “pleasant to work with, and Vice Chair Nancy Detert called him “the natural successor” to Harmer.

Before Lewis’ name came up, Harmer presented the commission with options for moving forward and hiring someone new: commissioners could choose to hire a recruiting firm to launch a wide search, conduct a targeted effort to identify and reach out to individuals or to appoint an internal candidate permanently or on an interim basis. The commission could have chosen one of these options, a combination or moved forward in a different way, but no one wanted to hire a recruiting firm, and Lewis was a quick consensus.

“I think it’s very important when we bring in a new person … we try to have a 5-0 vote, so that the incoming person feels comfortable with us,” Detert said.

In November, the commission plans to re-evaluate how Lewis is fitting into the role, though it wouldn’t be his official position until December. At that time, commissioners will decide if they want to seek other candidates.

Caragiulo said he was pleased with having this “seamless” choice.

“I think we’re in a very fortunate position,” he said. “I’m very thankful.”