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The 16 city manager candidates hail from two nearby beach towns, as well as cities from New Jersey to Alaska.
By AMY WIMMER
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 7, 2001
ST. PETE BEACH -- Michael Bonfield, city manager of Madeira Beach, and Paul Williams, public services director in Gulfport, are on a short list of 16 finalists to become St. Pete Beach's top administrator.
In all, 61 people from 20 states applied for the job.
The City Commission was expected Tuesday night to review the consultant's picks and cut the list to eight or 10 candidates. From those, the consultant will check backgrounds and determine which applicants come to St. Pete Beach for interviews.
The commission also could add more applicants that the consultant did not include in his list.
Tom Freijo of the Mercer Group, a Winter Haven-based firm, did not include on his short list Chris Brimo, the acting city manager of St. Pete Beach, who also applied for the job.
Bonfield, 42, has been city manager in Madeira Beach since 1999. Before that, he worked for Gulfport for 17 years, moving up the ranks from recreation supervisor to parks and recreation director to director of community services, a post he held for nine years.
Williams, 48, was hired as finance director in Madeira Beach in 1978. After eight years, he became deputy city manager and finally city manager, a job he held from 1986 to 1992.
He became public services director in Gulfport in 1992.
City commissioners hoped to attract public administration professionals with experience in coastal areas where tourism is important. Some commissioners also had expressed interest in considering some local officials from Pinellas cities, most notably Bonfield and Williams.
Commissioners plan to interview four to six candidates Nov. 28.
Other finalists selected by the consultant include:
Andrew M. Barton, who was city manager in Fernandina Beach until September. He has worked in public administration for 22 years, including an 11-year tenure as assistant to the city manager in Kirkland, Wash.
Russell Benford, village administrator of Hawthorn Woods, Ill., since last year. Before that, he spent six years as a planner and neighborhood services specialist in Plano, Texas.
Pamela D. Brangaccio, assistant county administrator in Charlotte County. The only woman on the finalist list, Brangaccio was city manager of Safety Harbor from 1991 to 1996. She has worked in public administration for 22 years.
Francis A. Frobel, town manager of Coventry, R.I., for 15 years. He has held various public administration posts, many of them with long tenures, since 1971.
John Neil Helin, city administrator of Central City, Neb. He previously spent 21 years in the U.S. Army and retired as a lieutenant colonel.
Rod Irwin, the assistant county manager of Arlington County, Va. He says he has experience in towns such as Ridgewood, N.J., and Watertown, Mass., where residents are well-educated, financially secure and involved in local government, much like the constituency of St. Pete Beach.
William Scott Janke, city manager of Seward, Alaska. Janke has been in various public administration positions in Alaska since 1989 and previously worked as a planner in three Florida communities after graduating from the University of Florida.
Thomas L. Mattis, municipal administrator in Waterville, Ohio. He has worked in public administration for 19 years, and while Mattis has not worked in a waterfront community, he has worked in three small historic towns that promote tourism.
Vincent D. Pastue, county administrator in Isabella County, Mich., for the past four years. He has worked in public administration for 18 years, including four years in Florida as senior budget analyst for Lee County.
Joe Pepplitsch, city manager in Lexington, Neb. He was formerly the city manager of Bloomfield, Neb.
Peter Schneider, deputy city manager in Sarasota since 1988. He has worked in public administration for 22 years, 17 of them in Florida.
Stephen E. Sorrell, who has worked for the city of Hamilton, Ohio, since 1979 and is currently the city manager. The city has an industrial base but also has historic features that attract tourists.
Michael Uskiewicz, the city manager of Escanaba, Mich., a waterfront community on Lake Michigan. He has held various public administration posts in five Michigan cities since 1987 and also previously served as an elected council member and a police officer.
Christopher J. Vaz, township administrator of Little Egg Harbor, N.J., since 1997. Before that, he was an elected council member in the borough of Seaside Heights, N.J., and he stepped down to be an interim administrator of the borough. He is also a lawyer, and most of his work experience is in law.