City Manager Candidates

I heard the interviews this morning - the stream seemed to kick on at 8:45 a.m. for some reason - not sure what was going on before that. From what I heard, we have a strong group of candidates. Thomas Hoover hails from the mid-west and he spoke the language of someone who understood the dynamics of a community in need of reinvestment - but restrained so not to lose the city's character. Susan Stanton was strong - especially the way she explained how to deal with sometimes conflicting priorities - didn't hear all of the interview. Same with Stanley Hawthorne - although I did hear him say that in evaluating delivery of services in challenging economic times, sometimes less is more. I'd like to hear more about that concept and flush out some examples. Pam Brangaccio - she has a lot of county and city experience in Florida. We even worked for the city of West Palm Beach at the same time way back when. I got the sense that she would be a keen negotiator - something we clearly need.

Tomorrow they plan to make the decision - at 5 p.m. prior to the regular Commission meeting. I'll check the city's website later today and see if they have the meeting audio available so you can listen to it yourself if you have time.

Again, an 8:30 a.m. meeting on such a big decision is not advisable, as far as I am concerned and the Commission is not leaving a lot of time to think things over before they act. Another rushed decision?

I am really impressed with the strength of the candidates. Fingers crossed!