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Final four jockey for Seminole city clerk
By MAUREEN BYRNE AHERN SEMINOLE -- The city is close to making a final decision on who will become Seminole's next city clerk. After interviewing nine applicants Friday and Saturday, the City Council has narrowed its list to four finalists. They are Jo Ann Hastings of Largo, a former city clerk for Green River, Wyo., who works as an office manager at a mobile home park in Largo; Amy Walsh of Seminole, an executive assistant for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, which covers Pinellas and Pasco counties; Randy Long, chief deputy clerk for Kansas City, Mo.; and Beverly Brown, city clerk for Shelton, Conn. Council members were scheduled to discuss the finalists at a workshop Tuesday evening and to whittle the list to one. City Manager Frank Edmunds said Seminole received more than 200 applications for the position. And Mayor Dottie Reeder said, "We really have had a terrible time trying to pick someone because we have so many qualified candidates." The search for a city clerk began in January when Carolyn Chandler resigned after six months on the job. Chandler worked as an administrative assistant to Edmunds before she was hired as city clerk. She said the job was not a good match for her so she transferred to an administrative position in the city's fire department. Chandler replaced former city clerk Lynne Keane, who was hired in 1998 when Sandy Tulecki quit after being charged with drunken driving. Keane resigned last summer when her husband accepted a job transfer to Bend, Ore. Chandler's resignation marked the fourth turnover in the city clerk position in the last decade. Karen Barr, deputy city clerk and administrative assistant for the city's general services department, is filling the position until a replacement is hired. The city clerk is a charter official who ultimately reports to the City Council, a board of seven members, including the mayor. The clerk's primary duties are maintaining all city records and coordinating city elections. Seminole will hold elections for three council seats March 5. "We're looking at making sure the person we select for the position will be a good match," said council member Patricia Hartstein. "We're not under pressure because there is a good crew at City Hall. They'll be relieved when that position is filled, but they understand."
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