Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Fired, now rehired: Indian Rocks official is returning

Dismissed for insubordination, Steve Andrews returns to a city administration that has been in turmoil.

By SHEILA MULLANE ESTRADA
Published March 30, 2005

INDIAN ROCKS BEACH - Steve Andrews, the popular building official fired in January in a dispute with City Manager John Coffey, is coming back.

Andrews accepted an offer of re-employment during a meeting with Coffey on Tuesday afternoon. He will return to his post as the city's building official Thursday, at the same $47,407 salary, and will report directly to the city manager.

A pending reorganization of the city's embattled community development department - which Andrews formerly was a part of - will not be decided until later this month. At that time, if the building department is split off, Andrews would most likely become the head of a stand-alone building department.

Tuesday night, the commission urged Coffey to rehire Andrews as the first step in a solution to the disrepair in the city administration. Residents echoed this and urged the city to "end the infighting."

"What is happening in this city since (former City Manager) Tom (Brobeil) left is frightening," said Stan McFarland, a four-year resident of the city who called on city officials "to pull together and get this thing moving."

Andrews' "conditional" re-employment includes a six-month probationary period during which he must develop operating procedures for the city's building program, fully document training of any new employees in that program, and attend classes in management, supervision and interpersonal communications. Andrews' annual merit raise will be postponed until he completes the probationary period.

The terms of his re-employment are essentially the same as those offered and rejected by Andrews earlier this month.

The decision to rehire Andrews may help to put to rest a controversy that began in January when Coffey fired him for insubordination. That action drew sharp protests from residents who supported Andrews, and sparked a long investigation by the commission into the operations of the city administration.

In subsequent months, the city also lost:

Permit Technician Chrissy Capellaro, who resigned after her performance became an issue during a controversial commission investigation into Andrews' firing;

Director of Community Development Pete Pensa, who resigned last week to take a private sector job offered after he came under fire for his role in the Andrews firing; and

Mayor Bob DiNicola, whose pending move to Ocala forced his resignation, but who sharply criticized what he and his fellow commissioners call the "mess" at City Hall.

Coffey told the commission Tuesday he had "limited success" in finding a "qualified candidate" to fill Andrews' post and has not begun advertising for a new community development director or permit technician because of the pending reorganizing of the department.

During the debate over how to fill the three posts in the city administration, DiNicola was blunt. "I would hate to leave the city without having somebody of the caliber of Steve Andrews. I would love for you to consider having him back," he said.

Other commissioners quickly joined DiNicola's call for a quick resolution to the crisis. And when Coffey said he was meeting with Andrews Tuesday, the commission pressed even harder for him to rehire the building official.

"I agree with the mayor about Steve," said Vice Mayor (and soon-to-be-mayor) Bill Ockunzzi.

The commission also urged Coffey to hire a replacement for Pensa quickly.

"We need to have the expertise of our own to look out for the interests of the city," said Ockunzzi.

"I thought we would have had this figured out already," said Commissioner Jim Palamara.

"We need to get all this moving," said Commissioner R.B. Johnson.

"I hope you see fit to put (Andrews) back on. I hope you and Steve get together on some kind of compromise. You two guys are going to have to sit down and bite the bullet. It's time to get to work," said DiNicola.

Coffey told the mayor he felt "confident" the commission would have a building official before he officially retired from his post.

"Well, I've got two more days," DiNicola shot back.

DiNicola, who presided for the last time before moving to his new home in Ocala, was praised by his fellow commissioners for his nearly two decades of service to the city.

"I love you, man," said Palamara.

Ockunzzi, who under the city charter will become mayor, said DiNicola had been "a great ambassador" for the city. "The best thing to say about Bob DiNicola is you've left Indian Rocks Beach in a lot better condition than when you arrived here."

[Last modified March 30, 2005, 01:03:17]