After serving the city for more than 15 years, Gerald Seeber will become the top administrator in Oviedo, a city near Orlando.
By MELIA BOWIE
Published May 4, 2004
NEW PORT RICHEY - Gerald Seeber, city manager since 1988, is leaving.
On Monday night he accepted a position as the top administrator for the Central Florida city of Oviedo, about 10 miles from Orlando.
The decision came just after Oviedo's City Council members voted unanimously to hire Seeber. They want him to start on June 14.
"I am going to ask (New Port Richey's council) to allow me to leave earlier than 60 days," Seeber said, noting that his current contract requires him to give two months' notice.
Oviedo's elected leaders chose Seeber from a field that included three other finalists. Oviedo is a city of about 30,000 people, nearly twice the size of New Port Richey. "It was very difficult," said Bob Dallari, Oviedo's City Council chairman. "All four candidates were extremely qualified."
But "we are ecstatic Mr. Seeber accepted our offer."
Initially, the New Port Richey manager said he would need to carefully consider any offer that might be made before accepting the Oviedo job.
On Monday night, however, Seeber said that he already had given it "a lot of thought." He added: "I was fairly well convinced after my meetings with the city officials" during the interview process Sunday and Monday.
The job advertised an annual salary of $110,000 to $115,000.
Seeber's decision ends a frustrating city manager search for Oviedo officials and starts one for those in New Port Richey. The west Pasco city is facing a budget crisis in the coming years and is in the midst of a massive redevelopment initiative.
New Port Richey Mayor Dan Tipton expects the search for Seeber's replacement could take six to eight months.
"We'll definitely be talking about it," City Council member Bob Langford said Monday evening.
"There will be some residents who are jubilant over this, and there will be some who are not," Langford added.
However, elected leaders in New Port Richey consistently gave Seeber, now 50, high marks in his annual performance evaluations. Many noted his professionalism among other traits.
As for Oviedo, Seeber's acceptance of the job there could end any lingering turmoil in the city, which is seeing new growth in population and infrastructure.
Oviedo lost its most recent permanent city manager - Gene Williford - in October when he resigned under pressure from the City Council.
Since then, the city has conducted two other failed searches for a replacement.
The first search ended when the city's human resources director forgot to notify the finalists, some of whom sought jobs elsewhere as a result.
In the second search, Oviedo leaders chose finalist Melinda Carlton, but the council later reversed the decision after the Orlando Sentinel reported she had problems with previous employers.
This time around, interim City Manager Gene Miller, who came out of retirement to lead Oviedo until a replacement could be hired, was asked to conduct a third manager search.
In April, Miller asked Seeber (his former assistant in Illinois) to interview.
Seeber said last week that during his tenure in New Port Richey he received numerous job offers and refused them.
However this invitation to interview came from his former boss, "a person I trust," he said.
In considering the job, Seeber cited the appeal of a new challenge in Oviedo, adding: "I have had a very good experience in New Port Richey for over 15 years, (but) my wife and I both believe this is an opportunity we should pursue."
