- May 3, 2024
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With County Administrator Tom Harmer’s move to Longboat Key less than a month away, the commission voted to raise Interim County Administrator Jonathan Lewis’ salary by $22,000.
The County Commission unanimously appointed Lewis to the interim position in August. He will take over as interim administrator on Harmer’s last day, Dec. 8, 2017. Harmer is becoming the town manager of Longboat Key.
The commission’s decision brings his salary to $185,000, per Harmer’s recommendation. This increase is comparable to the one Harmer received when he moved into the interim administrator role in 2013. In a memo to the board, Harmer said the salary would leave “room for some additional increase” if the board decided to hire Lewis as county administrator.
Lewis does not have a contract. The commission could still change its mind and conduct a more official search in the future.
However, at a Nov. 14 meeting, commissioners said they were pleased with Lewis’ work so far. When they made the decision to appoint Lewis rather than conduct a search for a new county administrator, they asked that he begin to take on more responsibility and work more with each of the commissioners so they could get to know him.
“Since we first named Mr. Lewis as the potential interim effective Dec. 8… I have probably sent that poor man 150 e-mails,” said Commissioner Al Maio. “I met with him once a day, worked on issues that were of concern to me and I have yet to be disappointed.”
Commission Chair Paul Caragiulo joked that he may have sent Lewis even more emails, and Commissioner Mike Moran said Lewis is “doing a fantastic job.”
This summer, Harmer announced his plans to take the Longboat Key town manager job, after Dave Bullock retires in January. He is one of several Sarasota County employees to take positions with Longboat Key, including Isaac Brownman, who took over as Longboat Key’s Public Works Director in August, and Allen Parsons, who took over as the Key’s Director of Planning, Building and Zoning on Nov. 1.
