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City manager prospect No. 3 also uneasy
By ALEX LEARY
© St. Petersburg Times, CRYSTAL RIVER -- With the top two choices for city manager having bailed out at the last minute, the City Council has begun courting a North Carolina man. Tony Hammond, town manager of North Topsail Beach, has not ruled out the possibility but implied in an interview that he would pass on the offer. "There seems to be a lot of instability there, and it bothers me," he said Wednesday. "As much as I want to go to Florida, I'm not sure I want to go that bad." Hammond said he had several other job leads and learned Wednesday that he was in the running for a position in a Florida community he declined to name. It remains to be seen how the matter will play out. The council, which has a meeting Monday, can either continue down its list of candidates or reopen the search. Spirits were high Monday evening, when the council approved a generous five-year contract with the city manager in the Panhandle community of Graceville. But the next morning, Mike Underwood dressed in his best suit and headed to another job interview. Hours later, he was offered the top administrative job in Walton County, a position he said was too good to pass up. Crystal River has been without a city manager since June 6, when David Sallee -- the seventh administrator since 1990 -- left amid controversy. Sallee had widespread support among residents but only one backer on the City Council, Bonnie Taylor, and his contract was not renewed. After interviewing for the Crystal River job in May, Hammond was approached by several Sallee allies, who informed him of their pitched battle with the council. At one point, Hammond was caught in the middle of an argument between council Chairman Mike Gudis and a leader of the watchdog group Citizens for Reform. "I don't know whether there would be a lot of unity in conjunction with things that need to be done for the community," Hammond said Wednesday, adding that he was uncomfortable being the No. 3 man. Underwood came into contention after a South Carolina man, Steve Thomas, declined the job, citing high turnover in the position. That left Underwood with considerable negotiating leverage, and he proposed a deal some residents felt was too good. The council, however, approved the deal as pitched. Underwood called for a five-year contract that would have paid him $70,000 after the first year. If he was dismissed without cause, he would have been awarded six months of severance pay. Hammond, 52, has worked in North Topsail Beach since May 1998. He earns $53,000. The small community of 843 residents has a budget of about $2-million and 25 employees. Before entering the public sector, Hammond was director of personnel and heath care management for the Navy, jobs he held for nearly 30 years. He holds a degree in health care administration from Southern Illinois University and a master's degree in public administration from Troy State University. If he enters negotiations, and there is no certainty he will, Hammond said he would want an even stronger deal than Underwood secured. He would seek six months' severance pay that was an aggregate of his salary and benefits. The city would pay the taxes on the pay. To fire him, short of any illegal activity, the council would need a supermajority vote.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
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