Bullock reports for duty

David Bullock pulled into Longboat Key Town Hall at 7:37 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1.

He usually arrives at work by 7:30 a.m., but his new gig as Longboat Key interim town manager means a slightly longer commute.

He didn’t have a key yet to Town Hall, so town receptionist Eva Waldroup — who also gets to work early each morning — let him in the door.

Six hours into his first day on the job, Bullock had met with department heads and spoken to three of seven commissioners. He got a 30-second lesson on how to use his office phone, although he hadn’t used it for a phone call yet. He continued the research he began more than a month ago on issues such as the town’s beaches and pensions.

He still had several items to cross off on his to-do list:

He hadn’t yet had his employee orientation — required of every new hire.

He planned to attempt to speak to the remaining four commissioners.

And he still needed to get that Town Hall key made.

“I’m climbing the steep learning curve as quickly as I can,” Bullock said.

Tuesday was technically Bullock’s first day on the job, but he has been a regular at Town Hall for the past month.

On Oct. 3, the commission approved a one-year contract for Bullock, who spent the past 17 years with Sarasota County, including 14 as deputy county administrator. The appointment came after the Sept. 16 resignation of 14-year Town Manager Bruce St. Denis. The contract the commission approved includes an annual salary of $180,000 plus 17.8% of Bullock’s salary in deferred compensation. The contract runs through Sept. 15, 2012, at which point the commission can either extend the contract — by vote or inaction, the latter of which would cause the contract to renew automatically — or choose another candidate for the permanent role of town manager.

“I will work hard to make this the best town in the nation,” Bullock told commissioners before they took a vote.

Since then, Bullock has been learning non-stop about town issues, attending town meetings, meeting individually with commissioners and introducing himself to town employees. He visited the police station Saturday; he stopped by both fire stations the Saturday before that. His last day in the office with Sarasota County was Thursday, Oct. 27. Although he has a lot of friends there, he plans to see them through his work with Longboat Key and had already emailed some former colleagues about local issues.

On Monday, Oct. 31, Bullock attended a Halloween party for town employees, and although he didn’t wear a costume, he got a candied apple to take home. He also visited the Public Works building, where he met almost all of the department’s employees.

He told the Longboat Observer that his goal is to meet and shake hands with each of the town’s 130 employees. By 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, he estimated that he was halfway toward that goal.

Bullock said midway through the afternoon that he had spent every minute of the day learning.

“My mother used to say if you didn’t learn anything new, then you didn’t have a good day,” he said. “I’d say I’m having a good day.”

Interim Management 101
David Bullock began his first week as interim town manager with a full schedule. Here’s what Bullock had on his to-do list as of Monday evening.

 Tuesday, Nov. 1
• Employee orientation
• Continue reading up on Key issues, including beaches and pensions

 Wednesday, Nov. 2
• Morning breakfast meeting with other city and county managers
• Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau meeting
• Human Resources meeting

 Thursday, Nov. 3
• Longboat Key Town Commission Special Beach Workshop
• Meeting with Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key Chamber of Commerce President Tom Aposporos

 Friday, Nov. 4
• Longboat Key Town Commission Special Comprehensive Plan Workshop
• Meeting with Longboat Key Planning & Zoning Board Chairwoman B.J. Webb