Dunedin city manager gets raise

Commissioners voice some complaints about City Manager John Lawrence but still raise his pay 4 percent.

By LEON M. TUCKER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 19, 2002

DUNEDIN -- Despite mixed reviews by commissioners concerning his job performance, City Manager John Lawrence will get a raise.

Commissioners on Thursday took turns saying what Lawrence has done well and not so well. Ultimately, they handed Lawrence a 4 percent salary increase, boosting his pay to about $117,500 a year.

"I felt his performance was excellent and felt like it needs to be pumped up in some areas," said Commissioner John Doglione, who opened the discussion on Lawrence's evaluation. "But overall, I think he's done a good job."

A stream of less-flattering comments came from Commissioners Bob Hackworth, Janet Henderson and Deborah Kynes.

"I had a pretty frank discussion with (Lawrence), and I told him he was not meeting my expectations," Hackworth said. "My evaluation says he's doing an acceptable job when I think he can do an exceptional job."

Henderson said she has found Lawrence sometimes unable to answer questions without referring to staffers.

"I sometimes feel he is not in touch with what is going on," she said. "I would like to see an ability to answer questions in a timely fashion."

Kynes called for better communication, reminiscent of her January Times interview in which she blamed Lawrence's lack of communication for botched negotiations with the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team.

"I also asked for quarterly management reviews of the budget. . . . I asked for more verbal communication," she said of her evaluation. "My review is mixed."

Lawrence, city manager for 18 years, sat quietly during the remarks -- at times flashing smiles to the audience.

"I think Mr. Lawrence has an outstanding record," said Mayor Tom Anderson. "We have had over the years many good accomplishments, and I think he has played a large part in that."

Lawrence said he was neither surprised nor disappointed at the commissioners' remarks.

"I like to get that type of feedback because you can never stop improving," said Lawrence, 56. "When I go one-on-one with them, I encourage that type of feedback."

In other news, commissioners capped at $6,500 the annual amount the Dunedin Country Club pays in lieu of property taxes.

Under the terms of the 22-year lease between the country club and the city, the club pays rent of 5 percent of its annual gross revenue, which this year will be about $97,000.

In addition to rent, the club's payment in lieu of taxes was calculated by city officials to be about $7,100. That payment now will be $6,500.

The lease expires in 2022.

-- Leon M. Tucker can be reached at (727) 445-4167 or tucker@sptimes.com .

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