GULFPORT - The city's search for a new manager has netted a diverse field of finalists, including the chief operating officer of a Catholic radio station and a former reality television show contestant.
The mayor and City Council have said they favor candidates with Florida experience, though the list of five includes the city administrator of Isle of Palms, S.C., and the former township administrator of Plainsboro, N.J.
The New Jersey candidate, Patrick Guilfoyle, has perhaps the most colorful resume. In addition to his 30 years in government administration, he was a contestant on the ABC reality series The Mole, described by TV critics as the smart man's reality show. In the show, players complete a series of tasks while trying to determine which person among them is the operative working against them.
The five candidates will visit Gulfport for two days, Sept. 29-30. The interview schedule will include a community social from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Gulfport Casino, where residents can meet the candidates.
The finalists are:
Thomas Brobeil, city manager of Indian Rocks Beach.
Brobeil took his first top administrator job five years ago when he joined Indian Rocks Beach. Previously, he spent 13 years working for Pasco County and the cities of Largo and Tampa.
In a phone interview, Brobeil told Gulfport's city manager search consultant that he is interested in the job because Gulfport is a "full-service city." Indian Rocks Beach does not have its own police or fire departments.
Brobeil names his handling of the aftermath of the 1993 "no name storm" as one of his professional accomplishments. While the central permitting manager for Pasco County, he was made responsible for the county's rebuilding efforts. "This was a very difficult time for the victims of the storm, as well as staff who were charged with ensuring that rebuilding efforts complied with building and (Federal Emergency Management Agency) regulations," Brobeil told the search consultant.
Patrick Guilfoyle, former township administrator of Plainsboro, N.J.
Guilfoyle recently resigned after 16 years because he and his wife hope to relocate from New Jersey. Now that their youngest child has graduated from high school, they are devoting themselves to a full-time job hunt.
He said he doesn't think his exposure on The Mole has helped or hurt his chances at landing a new job in government.
"That was an experience that I wanted to realize," Guilfoyle said. His tasks for the show included running through a city wearing nothing but a Speedo. "I did it, and it was a fun little two-week experience."
He once said he would be a good fit for the show because of his job history: "I've been in government for 30 years. Give me a break. You don't think I know how to lie, cheat and steal?" Guilfoyle said.
Tom Freijo, the city's search consultant, assured the City Council that the line was a joke.
Previously, Guilfoyle was town manager of Winter Park, Colo., and city administrator of La Vista, Neb.
James Jarboe, chief operating officer, Queen of Peace Radio in Jacksonville.
Jarboe has worked in government administration off and on since 1982. His time away from city management has been spent working in Catholic radio. He was the first executive director of the Catholic Radio Association.
As a senior aide to the mayor of Jacksonville in the 1980s, Jarboe headed lobbying efforts and says he found money for roads, parks and other public facilities in the city.
References describe Jarboe as a highly ethical family man who stays level-headed in stressful situations.
Anthony Shoemaker, manager of management analysis, Hillsborough County.
Shoemaker has worked in government for 33 years, including 29 in Florida. In this state, he spent 14 years as assistant city manager and then city manager of Clearwater; two years as city manager of Tarpon Springs; four years as county administrator in Citrus County; and one year as assistant city manager of Boca Raton.
He was hired in 1999 as assistant county administrator in Hillsborough County and last year moved to his current position. He listed Bob Lee, the former city manager these five candidates are vying to replace, as a reference.
He said in a phone interview with the city's search consultant that his accomplishments include a redevelopment plan for downtown Clearwater.
Shoemaker also told the consultant that he wanted to work for Gulfport because he lives in Pinellas County and because Gulfport has a good reputation. But Shoemaker also has been job hunting elsewhere in the area and was a finalist for Polk County manager and Casselberry city manager.
Linda Tucker, city administrator in Isle of Palms, S.C.
Tucker was previously town administrator of Sullivan's Island, S.C., and has spent 21 years working in government and government consulting.
Tucker spent 17 years with the Berkeley Charleston Dorchester Council of Governments in Charleston, S.C., where she wrote and administered more than $20-million worth of grants and loans for local governments and businesses. She points to that experience as a solid attribute for Gulfport, where former City Manager Lee and his staff relied extensively on their abilities to attain grants for the city.
She also worked to bring a subterranean water line to two South Carolina island communities, a $6-million intergovernmental project that allowed the communities to stop using well water.
- Times researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this report.
