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Seminole city manager in the catbird's seat

The city manager hears the good news: We love your work. And the bad: no job security past 2008.

By ANNE LINDBERG
Published September 21, 2005

SEMINOLE - City Council members really like their city manager, with a majority of them awarding him the highest marks possible in his latest job review.

The lone holdout was Mayor Dottie Reeder, who said her low ranking - 48 out of 72 possible points - was not an indicator of dissatisfaction with Frank Edmunds but of harsher grading.

Other council members' cumulative totals ranged from 64 to 69.5 points.

The low ranking did not affect Edmunds' raise. Council members agreed Sept. 14 to give him a 2.5 percent merit increase. That will increase his annual salary from $109,109 to about $111,837.

On Oct. 1, Edmunds, who presides over Seminole's 19,000 residents, will also receive a cost of living increase, increasing his annual pay another $3,355 to $115,192.

That's a bit under the salary for Steve Stanton, Largo's city manager. Stanton, who oversees a city of 74,000, earns $124,000 a year, but that will go up 4 percent Oct. 1. He has been Largo city manager since 1993.

Edmunds' salary is slightly more than that of Pinellas Park City Manager Mike Gustafson. Gustafson earns about $101,862 and on Oct. 1 will receive the same 5.5 percent increase as other employees, taking him to about $107,464 per year. Pinellas Park has about 48,400 residents.

Council members stopped short of extending Edmunds' contract, however.

With two council members - Reeder and Janet Long - saying they will leave to seek higher office, new council members are a foregone conclusion. The current council members said they did not want to hamstring the next council in making decisions about the future of Edmunds and the city.

Edmunds' contract was originally signed in 1995. It has been extended four times since then and is scheduled to end on July 31, 2008.

Edmunds took the decision not to extend his contract in stride. When council members asked if he was worried, he replied, "I'm currently not worried."

Judging by most council comments, after 10 years in office Edmunds has no need to be concerned about his future.

"Mr. Edmunds, in my opinion, continues to effectively provide the leadership that inspires the city employees to deliver quality services to the residents of the Seminole community," said council member Pat Hartstein. "I perceive Mr. Edmunds as a principle-centered individual who displays fairness, honesty, integrity, service, quality and synergy."

Hartstein praised Edmunds for his decade of service and noted that he has consistently received "excellent" evaluations.

She singled out his "easy to understand" budgets as one of his main accomplishments.

Council member Jimmy Johnson also praised Edmunds' budgeting abilities and noted the city's tax rate has remained stable and that Seminole is fiscally strong.

"It is a pleasure, honor and a privilege to have Frank Edmunds as our city manager," Johnson said.

The criticisms were few.

Reeder said Edmunds handles residents well but "sometimes seems a little too controlling."

She also said: "When anything happens in the negative, I am always aware that there is someone else to blame."

Johnson suggested that Edmunds needs to be "more visible at community events and schedule periods of time to discuss issues with each council member."

Edmunds, 54, is Seminole's first city manager. He served as the town administrator in Newmarket, N.H., a small community near Portsmouth, before coming to Seminole.

[Last modified September 21, 2005, 00:24:18]