Dunedin's Freaney takes county post
The acting city manager acceptsa job as Pinellas'human services director, rather than waitfor a permanent city post.
By By WILL VAN SANT
Published June 16, 2006
DUNEDIN - Acting City Manager Maureen Freaney, who some city residents hoped would be hired for good, is leaving to work for Pinellas County.
Freaney, 50, is taking a better-paying job as the county's human services director.
A spat among city commissioners over whether to hire Freaney permanently had disgusted some residents.
"I'm sad for the city of Dunedin and I'm glad for Mo," said Commissioner Deborah Kynes. "She's going to be extraordinary for the county."
Freaney will take over from the retiring Evelyn Bethell in early August. She will be paid $128,500 a year to lead the human services department, which has 112 employees and a budget of $54.4-million.
As Dunedin's acting city manager, Freaney said she was making about $114,000 annually.
County Administrator Steve Spratt said Freaney, chosen over two other finalists, one from Louisiana, the other Massachusetts, "has a strong track record."
Freaney has been a Dunedin city official for 22 years. She was named acting city manager in January, after her boss John Lawrence retired.
Some city leaders and residents lobbied to give her the job permanently, but a majority of commission members, led by Mayor Bob Hackworth, pushed for a broader search.
Freaney said she applied for the county job in early April.
She was among the finalists Dunedin had identified for the role of city manager. Kynes last week failed to persuade a commission majority to hire her.
Hackworth said the county was getting a quality leader in Freaney and he respected her decision.
He described Dunedin's search for a city manager as "screwed up." Of nine prospects, four, including Freaney, have taken other jobs before they could be brought in for formal interviews, he said.
After graduating from Kent State University, Freaney worked in Ohio's juvenile court system and volunteered at a crisis intervention center. The job of human services director, she said, represents a return to her working roots.