Barwin: Q&A

The Sarasota City Commission unanimously selected former Oak Park, Ill., city manager Thomas Barwin to be the next city manager of Sarasota Monday, July 16, at its regular meeting at City Hall. 

The commission will hold a special meeting Aug. 1, to discuss a contract with Barwin and officially hire him. Interim City Manager Terry Lewis has agreed to stay on until Barwin comes to Sarasota.

Below is a Q&A interview Barwin did with the Sarasota Observer Tuesday, July 17.

What’s your proudest and best achievement as a city/town manager?
 I’ve really had significant achievements everywhere I have been, but I think the stuff that gives me the most gratification is helping residents cut through the red tape at City Hall. Helping someone start a small business that’s now turned into a national business with more than 150 employees is just as gratifying to me as anything else I’ve done. Oak Park is now a renewable-energy city, and I’m proud of that. We also reduced crime to a 39-year low under my tenure.

What would you like to do over if you could?
I’ve always been a part of fast, furious and ambitious communities that are always dealing with a lot of issues and moving pieces. Sometimes you wish you could slow some things and some decisions down a bit, and that’s what I wish I could change.

What don't people know about what you like to do in your down time?
Being a city manager is a busy job. So, when I truly have some down time, they would see me under a tree reading a good non-fiction book, tapping into Pandora on my computer or strolling downtown Sarasota with my wife and my dog.

How would you compare Oak Park and Sarasota? How are they similar and different?
They are similar in that they have the same population sizes, and both have a wide diversity of people with wide income groups and varying educational and income levels. Both are highly engaged communities with lots of hyper-local media coverage, too.

Oak Park is nationally renowned for what it’s done with fair housing and its integration and diversity. Sarasota has an abundance of natural beauty and natural resources that Oak Park does not have. Now I have to keep an eye on hurricane forecasts instead of blizzard forecasts.

Why Sarasota? Do you have any previous or current connections to Sarasota?
No previous connections, except since we mentioned we were in consideration for the job, several of our friends and family have mentioned connections to the area they have.

At this point in my career, I wanted to continue on in a vibrant, active, engaging community while adding natural beauty into our lives. When we were down in Sarasota for the interview process, it was tough to leave. The opportunity to watch a sunset on the beach and put your feet in the warm Gulf waters is just amazing to me, and I can’t wait to get down there.

Tell me about your pension experience as a city manager and what needs to be done in Sarasota to curtail rising pension costs?
It’s no secret that communities across America are struggling with this. It’s wonderful people are living longer than they used to live, but it’s a big factor why so many communities are in such tough financial times. I’ve sat on pension boards for more than 15 years and understand the dynamics involved. It appears Sarasota is starting to deal with it in a fairly reasonable way. I know what the police have to do every day when they go to work, and negotiations can be done without being adversarial. I think being a past police officer will help with that process as negotiations continue.

How would you combat Sarasota’s crime problem in Newtown?
It’s an important issue. We have had great success here in Oak Park with advanced community policing strategies and techniques. Sarasota is looking to do some similar things, and I’m on board with it. Hiring a new police chief who’s on board with this new technique will be critical.

What are your top-five priorities when you walk in the door at City Hall next month?
Immersing myself in the community, immersing myself with the commission, meeting all my employees, working to provide exceptional services to residents and working to create a harmony at City Hall that I’ve been told is lacking.

Do past issues with the city manager’s office and the city auditor and clerk’s office trouble you? What needs to be done to make that relationship work?
Everyone I’ve talked to in Sarasota so far just wants City Hall to get back to work. And all the employees I met seem to share a focus of working together. I’ll play whatever role I can to settle things down, and it appears the employees are on the same page with that same line of thinking.

What do you think about two charter amendments being proposed that could alter your job description?
One would give the city manager more power and one would likely diminish the role if city voters ever approve a strong mayor form of government.

I’ve worked in just about every form of government that’s being discussed, and I can tell you to manage operations most cost efficiently, I prefer a strong city manager role. But I work for the commissioners and the residents of this city and will play whatever role that’s laid out for me as these matters are discussed and if things change.

Thomas Barwin
Age: 57
Family: Wife, Margaret of 32 years; four grown sons
Hometown: Detroit
Education: Master’s degree in administration from Central Michigan University; completed Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program from Harvard University.
Hobbies: Running, bicycling, basketball and tennis
Interesting facts: Barwin started his career as a police officer; Barwin drives a Chrysler minivan with more than 160,000 miles on the odometer that were racked up driving to and supporting his four sons’ sporting events. That dedication paid off professionally for son Connor Barwin, who is the starting outside linebacker for the Houston Texans. Connor Barwin had a total of 11.5 sacks last year for the Texans.