Iorio appoints city administrator for public works
A former Cape Coral city manager fills one of three new positions the mayor created.
By BILL VARIAN
Published December 31, 2003
TAMPA - Mayor Pam Iorio has tapped a former city manager from Cape Coral as her Public Works & Utilities administrator, one of three top-level positions she created as part of a reorganization at City Hall.
Stephen W. Daignault, 54, who served as Cape Coral city manager from 1996 to 2001, will oversee the Public Works & Utility Services Department, which includes public works, solid waste, wastewater, stormwater and water. He starts work Jan. 12, and will make $127,000 annually.
Daignault previously headed the Public Works Department in Cape Coral, a city near Fort Myers, from 1995 to 1996. He most recently worked for Grosse Pointe Development Co., a residential development company in Fort Myers.
"They've got some big projects coming down the line," Daignault said, citing the planned widening of 40th Street as an example. "It sounded like a challenging position.
A retired Navy captain, Daignault was the head of the Public Works Support Department in the Pacific Division of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command in Pearl Harbor. He holds a civil engineering degree from the University of South Florida, a master's degree in engineering from the University of Florida and a master of arts degree from the Naval War College. He grew up in Tampa.
Daignault will have his hands full, with the 40th Street project having languished for years and attempts to expand reclaimed water lines into south Tampa experiencing snags. He said he's up for it.
In Cape Coral, Daignault said he oversaw two rounds of expansion of the city's water, sewer and reclaimed water system, taking over the first one after the city ran into disputes with contractors. He said he resolved the disputes and made changes to avoid similar problems in future expansions.
In the Navy, he said, he oversaw the Navy's role in shutting down Midway Naval Air Facility, dealing with environmental concerns, rare animal species and 19 separate agencies.
"I hope this says that I can move a project forward and get consensus from diverse people," Daignault said. However, that was not always the case with the City Council in Cape Coral. In 2001, Daignault negotiated his resignation from the city after repeated clashes with council members, particularly the newly elected mayor at the time.
"Trying to be very polite, the new mayor-elect and I just didn't work out very well together," Daignault said. "So, I negotiated a buyout.
"I worked with some pretty aggressive people who were often crossways with the city. I got along with all of them. There are just some circumstances I am not going to work under."
Iorio created three top administrator positions, akin to assistant county administrator jobs, after she was elected mayor in March.
"It's trying to reflect a middle management," said Darrell Smith, the mayor's chief of staff. "The whole idea is to consolidate like functions and responsibilities and put an administrator in charge that can focus on those areas."
The other two posts oversee economic development and neighborhood issues. The latter job remains unfilled.
- Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this story. Information from the News-Press was used in this report.
