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By BRYAN GILMER
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 29, 2001
ST. PETERSBURG -- Don McRae sat before a special session of the City Council on March 3, 1992, and told incredulous members why he had fired popular police Chief Ernest "Curt" Curtsinger.
McRae, a quiet, long-time city employee who was serving as interim city manager, found Curtsinger racially insensitive. He said he had "lost confidence in his ability to lead the St. Petersburg Police Department."
"I genuinely believe that his continued stay in office could only have led to escalating community and organizational controversies," he said that day. The council, which could have fired McRae, accepted his explanation.
He survived the months of controversy that followed, including Curtsinger's bid to become mayor in 1993. David Fischer won, and in the same election voters made the mayor the city's chief executive, not just the chair of the City Council.
McRae has remained the city's highest-ranking African-American employee ever since.
He announced his plans to retire Wednesday, the day after Rick Baker was elected the next mayor of St. Petersburg.
"He's low-key like I am but he's absolutely on target," Fischer said Wednesday of McRae, adding that McRae, 70, has served as a sort of ambassador to and from African-American residents. "His advice has been invaluable to me through these years."
"It was my decision" to retire, McRae said Wednesday, saying that he told Baker of the decision some time ago. He said he will remain on the job to help with the transition of government as long as Baker wants him.
McRae announced his retirement four years ago but never went through with it.
It was 1997, when Fischer was running for re-election against Bill Klein. Klein said McRae's job was an unnecessary one he would eliminate if elected. McRae responded that he was nearly ready to retire anyway and that he planned to do so soon after the election.
More than four years and $400,000 of city salary later, McRae still collects a full-time paycheck of $111,400 per year. He is charged with supervising the city marketing department, the City Clerk's Office and Fischer's Challenge Program.
Asked once why he did not keep his pledge to retire, McRae replied, "We're still in the midst of trying to accomplish the goals the mayor articulated for the community."
Last summer, McRae's Ford Explorer was involved in a collision on Second Avenue S, and he was thrown from the driver's window. Although he was initially listed in serious condition in intensive care at Bayfront Medical Center, he recovered completely.
Wednesday, McRae said he will focus his retirement on running his family business, McRae Funeral Home.
Fischer said he thinks McRae really will step down this time.
"I think so," Fischer said. "We've talked about it a number of times. He wants to retire."