Manatee County acting administrator becomes surprise finalist for top post

Despite being hosted at a Manatee County meet-and-greet as the final four finalists to become county administrator, the four supposed finalists discovered on Aug. 22 that there were actually five finalists.

Commissioners Jason Bearden and Kevin Van Ostenbridge added current acting Administrator Charlie Bishop to the finalists at the commission meeting.

Then, after a break in which Bishop confirmed he would interview for the position, commissioners announced that Bishop and Andrew Butterfield would be the two remaining candidates for the position. Butterfield has been the St. Petersburg operations manager since 2019. He is a 36-year veteran of the U.S. Navy. 

Bishop was named acting administrator on Aug. 3. He joined the county in 2001 and has served as a project manager, facilities services manager, infrastructure division manager, construction services division manager, and, for nearly 12 years, as the director of property management for Manatee County. Bishop was named deputy county administrator in August 2021.

Commissioners said they would pick between the two at the Sept. 12 commission meeting.

It was a strange ending to the meeting, as none of the commissioners questioned the late addition of a candidate who wasn't presented by a search firm tasked with narrowing the field.

Except for Bishop, the other four finalists were recommended by the Colin Baenziger & Associates firm which was hired by Manatee County to conduct the job search.

Butterfield, Dale “Doc” Dougherty, William “Lee” Smith, and Don Rosenthal were named, and Dougherty, Smith and Rosenthal were dispatched Aug. 22.

The top four original finalists spent Aug. 17-18 touring Manatee County and meeting the citizens.

“We had leadership on a transit bus (with the candidates) for approximately five hours. We did a windshield tour of all areas and almost all four corners of Manatee County,” said Bishop, who at the time wasn't considered in the running for the position, at least by the citizens.

The finalists had lunch at Public Safety, and then spent their dinner hours with key staff and residents at a meet and greet held at the Manatee Performing Arts Center. About 65 staff members and 25 residents attended. 

On Friday, one-on-one interviews between the finalists and commissioners began at 8 a.m., followed by a publicly held panel interview in the afternoon. 

At the time, none of the candidates seemed daunted by the revolving door of the position the last several years. 

“I read this once years ago about city and county managers that they always believe they can be the one to make it better,” Dougherty said.  “I feel like I could walk into it, and I’m sure the other guys would say the same thing, while it’s been that way, I think I’m the one who could make it better.” 

Smith said there’s going to be issues wherever you go.

Butterfield said he thought he could bring stability, and Rosenthal said you don’t even apply for the job if you’re afraid of being fired.

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

So what did citizens and commissioners think? 

Manatee County residents Keith and Sharon Bateman said they were very pleased with the final four candidates, but disappointed to have only met two in person. Rosenthal was tied up in conversation with others, and Butterfield had left before the couple arrived later in the evening. 

“We liked the two we met, Sharon Bateman said. “We like that Doc was conservative and has a military background in his family.”

“Good roots,” interjected Keith Bateman. 

The Batemans have a lot in common with Dougherty, who is the current city manager of Garden City, Michigan. They both homeschooled their children, and their children went into branches of the military. The Batemans described Smith as personable.

While Smith is the only candidate without work experience in Florida, commissioners discussed him as someone who has already dealt with a lot of the issues Manatee County is facing. Having worked in both North Carolina and Georgia, he’s dealt with hurricanes and coastal areas, also a population of almost 300,000 in Chatham, Georgia.

In addition, he has experience with differing opinions and unharmonious boards. Smith entered into a severance agreement with Chatham County last year after he was suspended from his role as county manager. The reason for his dismissal wasn’t made public. 

Commissioner Mike Rahn mentioned Manatee County’s “drama” and asked how he would avoid getting to the same place if conflict and confusion were to arise. Smith replied that it was just business. The board was headed in a different direction, and the agreement was mutual.

For Rosenthal, county administrator is the next natural step after serving five years as assistant county administrator in Pasco County. 

In February, he was among the Top Five candidates for the county administrator job in Indian River County, along with Dougherty. Rosenthal advanced to the Top Two in March. The first vote was deadlocked, and he lost in the second.

When Manatee commissioners initially chose their top four, Butterfield was the only candidate selected by all seven commissioners, and he came out on top again as they were sorting out their Top Two. 

On advice from the county attorney, William Clague, commissioners were not to officially vote on anything. It was only a discussion. Still, Butterfield was at the top of everyone’s list except for Commissioner Jason Bearden, who went with Rosenthal and Dougherty.     

Rosenthal stood out among commissioners for his government experience, and both Commissioners Amanda Ballard and James Satcher commented on Dougherty’s energy.

The commissioners, as a whole but using Ballard’s words, simply “clicked” with Butterfield. 

“Without trying to wade into politics, I think ideologically he’s pretty well aligned with this board as well,” Van Ostenbridge said. “And ultimately, that matters if we’re going to be a team up here together.”

The discussion will continue at the next commission meeting. If a final selection isn’t made, the candidates will be narrowed down to two.