Ross’ departure reignites succession talk

Longboat Key Assistant Town Manager Anne Ross’ impending departure as she prepares to become Lakewood Ranch’s  executive director has prompted new concern about who will be Town Manager Dave Bullock’s eventual successor.

Ross, 43, will leave the town Oct. 28 and start her new Lakewood Ranch position Nov. 2.

“It concerns me,” said Mayor Jack Duncan. “I have a tremendous amount of confidence in Dave’s office, but this is a tremendous loss of an asset, and it’s the loss of a big asset.”

Bullock, 65, won’t release a timetable for his eventual departure but told the Longboat Observer Monday he’s not going anywhere anytime soon “because there’s a lot of work to do.”

When he was hired, Bullock gave the Longboat Key Town Commission a commitment of at least five years. Bullock begins his fifth year as town manager Oct. 31.

But Duncan and other commissioners are worried enough about his succession plan to discuss it at a public meeting.

In an Oct. 9 email to Bullock, Commissioner Lynn Larson requested a succession planning discussion be placed on the Oct. 19 regular workshop agenda.

“We can pretend that you will want to continue as town manager into the unlimited future or we can accept the fact that one day you will wish to leave because of family, health, or whatever reason you may choose,” Larson wrote. “This is no different from the fact that while none of us may be ready to leave this world, most of us plan and make arrangements, such as a will, for the eventual day we do leave.”

Bullock said he’s ready to listen to commissioners next week to get direction on a succession plan.

In the meantime, Bullock said he’s already looking for a new assistant town manager.

“A search is on both internally and externally, and I’m looking around,” Bullock said. 

One responsibility of a town manager, Bullock said, “is to plan for the future generation of managers.”

Bullock said he would like to fill the position as soon as possible.

The town, which continued to use Ross for engineering and project management duties for the Public Works Department, is also seeking a Public Works manager position to offset the other void Ross’ departure creates.

“Anne does a lot,” Bullock said. “There will be an impact on our ability to keep things moving at the speed in which they have been moving the past three years.”

Larson said the commission needs to make a serious effort to plan for the next decade.

“With Anne leaving, now is the time for the commission to be responsible and discuss this issue,” Larson wrote.

Duncan told the Longboat Observer discussion of Bullock’s successor “is an important one.”

“I think we can help be strategic managers to come up with possible replacements,” Duncan said. 

Bullock, meanwhile, said he has no plans to retire, noting that he’s busy overseeing three beach projects, Bayfront Park construction plans and more.

“I’m having a lot of fun,” Bullock said. “I just don’t have a (departure) date.”