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Politics

Safety Harbor hires city manager

Commissioners picked Billy Preston Beckett, who has worked most of his 30 years in municipal government in Georgia, to start on Oct. 16.

By EILEEN SCHULTE andMIKE DONILA
Published September 16, 2006

SAFETY HARBOR - After two days of interviews, city commissioners Friday hired Billy Preston Beckett as their new city manager.

Beckett, 57, a former executive director of the Coosa Valley Regional Development Center in Georgia, replaces Wayne Logan, who resigned under pressure several months ago.

"I felt like he'd be a unifier," said City Commissioner James McCormick Jr., adding that he was impressed with Beckett's resume and accomplishments. "I was at the meet-and-greet last night, and I watched how he interacted with people. He's not overly outgoing, but he's very engaging. His manner draws people in."

Beckett was one of six finalists screened by the Mercer Group, an executive search firm Safety Harbor hired to help the town find a new city manager. The finalists also included former Belleair City Manager Steve Cottrell and Belleair Beach City Manager Reid Silverboard.

Beckett said he's elated to have landed the Safety Harbor job.

"It's a wonderful community," he said. "I especially value their sense of community, their forward thinking and their strong desire to protect the character and integrity of the community."

Beckett impressed Interim Mayor Andy Steingold, who liked his "infectious personality."

"I believe he has energy and is a progressive thinker who will carry forward the best interests of the city," Steingold said. "He shares the same vision of the commission, maintaining Safety Harbor's small-town flavor."

Steingold said he met with the city's department heads, and they concurred with the commission's decision to hire Beckett. He said Beckett will probably start work Oct. 16.

"We are currently negotiating a salary," Steingold said. "The range is $110,000 to $120,000."

Beckett earned his bachelor's degree in geography and sociology from Concord College in Athens, W.Va., and his master's of urban affairs and public management from Virginia Tech.

Beckett has worked in municipal government for 30 years, 20 of which were spent in Georgia. Most recently, he was the executive director of the Coosa Valley Regional Development Center in Rome, Ga., from 2004 to 2005; the city manager of Riverdale, Ga., from 2001 to 2004; and the county manager of Fayette County, Ga., from 1985 to 2000.

He and his wife live in Peachtree City, Ga. During his free time, he is a college football referee for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In Riverdale, Beckett oversaw a city that had an operating budget of about $10-million and about 10 departments.

Mayor pro tem Wanda Wallace, who took office in 2002, said Beckett started a number of key initiatives that will benefit the city for years to come.

She said he spearheaded the effort to create a new comprehensive land use plan for Riverdale, reorganized the Police Department and created a pay scale and classification chart for city employees.

"You guys could not be getting a better city manager - he's great," Wallace said.

Beckett was a stickler for the rules but always maintained an open-door policy with both residents and city employees, Wallace said. She said he left a bigger government in neighboring Fayette County so he could have a greater hand in running a city.

Beckett never took sides, she said, but "if you were wrong, he'd let you know."

She also said he was strong on diversity in a city where 55 percent of the residents are black.

"His main goal was bringing everyone together - he was great at doing that," Wallace said.

Wallace and fellow council member Michelle Bruce said the majority of the four-member council supported Beckett, but he clashed with current Mayor Phaedra Graham.

Bruce said Beckett "was pressured to resign" and left in May 2004.

"He was real good," Bruce said. "It's unfortunate about what happened to him, but the mayor wanted more power."

Both council members declined to go into specifics about why Beckett left.

"We told him to stay - he had our support," Wallace said. "I support righteousness."

Eileen Schulte can be reached at schulte@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4153.

[Last modified September 16, 2006, 06:44:25]