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Dunedin reaches accord in city manager search

The City Commission will hire an Atlanta firm to help findsuitable candidates.

By VANESSA DE LA TORRE
Published July 11, 2006

DUNEDIN - It may have felt like Round 15 in Dunedin's search for a new city manager. Months had passed - still no progress.

But at Thursday night's City Commission meeting, after three consultants spent nearly two hours making their pitch to lead the latest search to replace the retired John Lawrence, a clean slate emerged:

Commissioners had to choose one firm. Historically, a strong consensus has not come easily for them on this issue. Someone suggested they take a tally.

"Just put your first choice and pass it down to the clerk and see where we're at," Mayor Bob Hackworth said.

The five slips were handed to Assistant City Clerk Barbara Kanehl.

"It's unanimous," she announced.

The new firm would be an Atlanta company named Slavin Management Consultants.

City Hall erupted in cheers.

"When the audience starts clapping, you know it's a happy thing!" said Commissioner Deborah Kynes.

In fact, there were only two residents left in the audience, the time being 10:18 p.m.

Kynes said she was impressed that the firm placed a high value on recruiting women and minorities.

In his presentation, firm president Bob Slavin told commissioners that he's "placed a city manager in every state of the union except the two Dakotas." Now that he has the job, Slavin will interview commissioners Thursday to determine what they want in a candidate. After that, he said, he can put together a hiring schedule.

Slavin's own contract with Dunedin was not finalized Thursday night, but his firm's proposal stated that fees would not exceed $20,610.

In other business, commissioners voted to delay discussion of the proposed $30-million Porte Royale project, after the city received a last-minute request from the developer.

Pageco Dunedin LLC had planned to convert 150 Marina Plaza - now home to the Best Western Yacht Harbor Inn and the city's last waterfront restaurant, Bon Appetit - into a luxury, 75-unit condominium complex.

City staffers were going to recommend denial of the preliminary site plan, based on concerns that a single-use project was incompatible with the redevelopment of downtown, and would in the process demolish two landmark businesses.

Hackworth said the developer and city staff were going to continue talking and expect to send the issue back to the Local Planning Agency next month.

In April, the LPA voted 3-2 to recommend that the commission reject the Port Royale proposal.

Vanessa de la Torre can be reached at 727 445-4167 or vdelatorre@sptimes.com.

[Last modified July 11, 2006, 08:13:46]