Search begins for new Sarasota city manager

Under ordinary circumstances, the process to replace the retiring Marlon Brown as Sarasota City Manager would probably be relatively simple.

As was the case with Brown in 2021, simply elevating the deputy city manager to the top position would have been the likely scenario. 

However, Patrick Robinson doesn’t want the job, at least not now, so on Monday the City Commission held a workshop to provide guidance to key staff on how it would like to proceed. 

Just more than 20 minutes into the meeting, Mayor Liz Alpert provided clarity to the obvious question of why Robinson isn't being considered.

“I think we should make it clear for people who don't know this, that Mr. Robinson is not interested,” Alpert said. “That's why we're not considering him. Otherwise he would be, for me, the obvious choice.”

Robinson was also the obvious choice according to Brown, who doesn’t get a say in the matter but, upon announcing his retirement effective Oct. 15 in an Aug. 15 letter to commissioners, recommended Robinson as his replacement.

“With Mr. Brown's — I would say untimely departure from the position — his departure timeline and my personal and professional timelines just don't line up,” Robinson told commissioners on Monday. “As you all know the city manager's job is a high-contact position within our organization, and with the number of things both in my personal life and my professional life, there are still things that I'd like to accomplish in my current role.”

Robinson was named deputy city manager in December 2020. Prior to that, he spent 20 years with the Sarasota Police Department where he was named deputy chief of police in June 2015.

With about a month remaining in Brown’s tenure, that leaves a tight timeframe to name an interim city manager before embarking on a permanent replacement. Brown has offered to remain at the post longer if requested by the commission.

Robinson said he isn’t interested in the interim role, either.

Human Resources Director Stacie Mason led commissioners through their options first for the process of naming an interim manager. Those can include, but are not limited to, elevating a senior staff member to that role, advertise the temporary position on the Florida League of Cities website, or review the list of the League’s members-in-transition for the short-term replacement, which could potentially range from four to six months.

Of the latter, “Some might be retired and just willing to help, but a lot of them are in transition, either pausing a career, maybe they've exited as a city manager or maybe a chief financial officer, and just pausing while they are in transition to their next permanent placement,” Mason told commissioners.

Should the commission opt for an external interim manager regardless of the source, Mason advised that they should be eligible to apply for the permanent job.

“I think a broader net always with recruitment is better, Mason said. “if we say you can apply for the permanent position, that opens it up a little bit more. I would lean toward that as a recommendation. From an HR perspective and recruitment, if you put that in the stipulation for them coming, it doesn't disregard anyone who might be looking for something more permanent.”

Meanwhile, Mason and Robinson will be developing a strategy for a permanent replacement process as commissioners leaned toward securing a firm to conduct a national search. 

“We do need direction if you want a national search,” Mason said. “We can bring back several firms’ terms and costs for a decision of the commission, and then the we would ask the commission to engage with the firm that is selected so we can start the input of the process for engagement of the interview and recruitment process.”

Mason said there are several search firms in Florida that specialize in senior municipal officials such as city manager.

With Brown’s impending exodus, that process will need to begin soon to have a new permanent manager in place within six months. The city manager is one of three charter officials within the city government — along with the City Attorney and City Auditor and Clerk — meaning they are the only positions hired directly by the commission.

“It will be a time crunch, and we understand that, so we want to make sure we do it right,” Robinson said. “The interim, I would love to see it to be more of a four-month transition as opposed to six months, but we're going to do everything we can to make that as as short of a time period to ensure continuity of operations. 

"We have a great team, so we will be putting our best foot forward to make sure this comes back to you expeditiously.”