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Starting over from the top

Mayor Rick Baker says he no lame duck, but departures have required him to reshape his staff.

By AARON SHAROCKMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published August 26, 2007

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker has seen recent turnover with some of his top aides as his term reaches its final two years. Baker laughs off any notion that he is a lame-duck Mayor.
	[Times file photo (2003)]

ST. PETERSBURG - As Mayor Rick Baker heads into his final two years of office, the pool of his trusted confidants is shrinking.

Eight top city administrators have retired, resigned or been laid off from the city in the last two years. Two of the city's four deputy mayors, Mike Dove and Sarah Lind, left within the last nine months.

Others who have left: the city's longtime lobbyist, Herb Polson; a veteran administrator overseeing parks and recreation, Lee Metzger; and a 31-year career city employee, Andy Houston.

There are personal reasons behind each departure, and city officials say the turnover accounts for only a small percentage of high-level positions. But the exodus may be an early symptom of St. Petersburg's strong-mayor system of government, where job security lasts only as long as Baker does.

In a place steadied for years by the continuity of its highest leaders, the shuffle out the door now has some wondering if City Hall is in line for a brain drain.

"I'm losing a lot of the contacts I had," said Barbara Heck, president of the Council of Neighborhood Associations. "We're going to need to be patient. Things are not going to be the way they were, and we've got to learn to deal with it."

* * *

The announcement this week that Deputy Mayor for Midtown Goliath Davis was taking a part-time senior adviser role at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg only fueled speculation that more departures may be coming.

Davis says he has no plans to retire from the city. And no other city official contacted by the St. Petersburg Times said he was planning to leave.

But more changes should be expected, said Darryl Paulson, a government and politics professor at the University of South Florida who is familiar with St. Petersburg government.

City Hall can be compared to the White House, where top advisers to President Bush have been slowly trickling out the door since the beginning of Bush's second term, Paulson said.

Baker, who is prohibited from seeking a third four-year term, leaves office in January 2010.

"People are starting to look for other things knowing there's only a limited time horizon left," Paulson said. "Some of these people might anticipate staying on with whoever's next, but nobody knows who what is.

"Part of this is Baker, himself. Clearly he is moving onto something else. But what is that something else?"

Baker on Friday laughed off the notion that he is something of a lame duck.

"I don't think our turnover in the last year and a half has been any more than it has been at any other time," he said. "Frankly, right now we have as strong a group as we've ever had."

Who's out, who's in

Dove, whom Baker persuaded to return to work for St. Petersburg in 2001 after a year away from the job, retired late last year as deputy mayor of neighborhood services to start a consulting business.

Also retiring is Bob Jeffrey, a 17-year city planner who recently finished rewriting the city's planning and development regulations.

Eve Cline, the city's marketing director, left this month for a private-sector job based in Texas.

The city's deputy mayor for schools, Lind, got engaged and moved out of Florida.

Houston, Metzger and Polson all retired. Houston, after a brief respite in Georgia, became the city manager of Crystal River.

And Gail Eggeman was a casualty of the budget cuts, laid off after 28 years with the city.

In eight people, the city has lost more than 160 years of experience.

"You won't see that that's too different than a lot of strong-mayor organizations," said Polson, who is running for the City Council and says his departure had nothing to do with Baker or the inevitable end of his administration.

"If people see their ultimate leader's term running down, and if they're not ready to retire, they start looking for some place to go," Polson said.

Though there has been change, three of Baker's closest advisers said last week they will remain by his side through the end of his term.

First Deputy Mayor Tish Elston, senior development administrator Rick Mussett and Davis all said they hope to remain with the city even after Baker leaves.

"I'm here for the duration," said Elston, who has been with the city 19 years, the last eight as the city's top professional staffer. "If a new administration feels I can add value, I'll be here."

Replaced from within

When Baker was running for office in 2001, he said he met with another Florida strong mayor to seek advice.

The mayor, whom Baker would not name, told him to replace the city's entire top staff. It was a suggestion Baker ignored.

The continuity - from the weak-mayor form of government under Dave Fischer, to Fischer's eight years as a strong mayor, to Baker's two terms - has largely been unchallenged.

A mix of coincidence and circumstance is just now shaking the balance, Paulson says.

"Government is supposed to be a training ground for officials," Paulson said. "People who have held a job for a number of years, it's not unusual for them to want to move on, or up."

Most of the losses so far have been filled by administrators already working in the city, softening any institutional loss, city officials say.

Beth Herendeen, the former director of the city's downtown facilities, recently took over as marketing director. Mike Connors, the former engineering director, became the city's internal services administrator.

And longtime city employee Dave Metz replaced Dove overseeing neighborhood programs.

Baker said transitions have been smooth.

"I don't get a sense anyone's nervous about massive turnover," Baker said. "Some people will go do what they have to do, but it's still real early. There's still a lot of time. And there's a lot to do."

Aaron Sharockman can be reached at (727) 892-2273 or asharockman @sptimes.com

Among those staying

Goliath Davis, Baker's emissary in Midtown, left, and Rick Mussett, the mayor's go-to guy on economic development issues.

Among those leaving

Bob Jeffrey, left, the author of the city's new land development regulations, is off to start his own business, and longtime city lobbyist Herb Polson is running for the City Council.

[Last modified August 26, 2007, 00:31:03]