Decades of experience and a friendly demeanor have given the interim city manager an edge out of six finalists.
By MAUREEN BYRNE AHERN
Published April 4, 2004
MADEIRA BEACH - Besides knowing the city inside and out, Mike Maxemow is considered a likable guy.
That combination - working for the city for nearly 30 years and working well with fellow employees - is why Maxemow could become Madeira Beach's next city manager.
"I see how he interacts with people, and I get a sense from them they respect him," said Commissioner Len Piotti, adding that current and past commissioners have acknowledged previous City Manager Jim Madden lacked "people skills."
A contract needs to be signed, but barring any obstacles, it's likely Maxemow will assume control of the city's day-to-day operations and its $11.1-million budget. He's doing that now as interim city manager, a job he has held two times before.
Maxemow, 49, says he never applied to be city manager before because the timing wasn't right. But it is now, he says.
"I've been here 28 years," he said Friday from his office at City Hall. "I think I'm capable of doing the job with all the tasks I've performed over the years and all the experience I have."
Mayor Tom DeCesare agrees.
It was the mayor's idea at a workshop Tuesday to offer the job to Maxemow instead of going through the process of interviewing other candidates. The commission then ranked the six finalists, and Maxemow came out on top.
"In my opinion, he certainly deserves the chance," DeCesare said.
Hiring Maxemow may bring some stability to a position that has endured frequent turnover in the past decade. The city has had four city managers since 1994.
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Maxemow says he has seen much change in Madeira Beach during the past three decades. He remembers when Gulf Boulevard was only two lanes, when fishing was the primary industry and when properties on the beach were still affordable.
If he does get the job, Maxemow says he'll face some big challenges, especially working on the city's master plan and guiding redevelopment projects. "It's going to be difficult to keep everyone happy," he said. "But the community is built-out, and a lot of it needs a facelift."
Maxemow would replace Jim Madden, whose management style rankled some of the city's 60 employees. Last year city workers outside the fire department, where employees already are unionized, began negotiations with a union.
And a group of Madeira Beach residents, many of them former city leaders, thought Madden destroyed morale and made City Hall an uncomfortable place to work.
Maxemow hopes he can heal some of the wounds. Some residents say things already have improved because Madden is gone and two new commissioners, Len Piotti and John Wolbert, were elected to office.
"It's been a little controversial here," Maxemow said. "We need to move ahead and focus on a positive Madeira Beach."
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Born and raised in the Bronx in New York City, Maxemow moved to Florida with his parents when he was fresh out of high school. "I fell in love with the area, who wouldn't?" Maxemow said.
The family settled in Redington Beach, and Maxemow waited tables while attending St. Petersburg Junior College, now St. Petersburg College, where he earned an associate's degree. He currently is working on a bachelor's degree in public administration at the University of South Florida.
In 1974, Maxemow landed a part-time job working as a recreation aide for the city of Madeira Beach. He supervised children during recreation programs and summer camp sessions.
"I've always loved kids," said Maxemow, who is a father of five. He has two daughters, 22 and 17; and three sons, two 15-year-olds and a 5-month-old.
Maxemow began working full time for the city on Oct. 12, 1975. At 21, he became the city's recreation director. During the next 12 years, he enhanced the city's recreation services and oversaw the opening of a new recreation complex.
In 1987, he was promoted to parks and recreation director. He did that job for eight years before becoming the public works director. A couple of years later, the city changed Maxemow's title to community services director and added more duties to his job. As community services director, Maxemow is in charge of public works, parks and recreation and major capital projects.
"Mike certainly knows the community and knows the issues," said St. Pete Beach City Manager Mike Bonfield, who was city manager in Madeira Beach from 1999 to 2002. "He's one of those people who have shown the ability to take on more responsibilities and succeed."
Maxemow says one of his biggest accomplishments in Madeira Beach is the $2.4-million facelift of the city's signature attraction, John's Pass Village. As project coordinator, he was in charge of upgrading stormwater and sewer systems, beautifying streets and burying utility lines.
Two of his current projects are repairing the city's sewer system, originally installed in the 1940s and 1950s, and opening Madeira Beach Causeway Park.
And there is the undetermined status of the old Snack Shack at Archibald Memorial Beach Park. A planned restaurant has been held up since 2001 as attorneys for the U.S. Department of Interior and Madeira Beach negotiate what can be allowed on the city-owned property.
