Sarasota retreats back to the full city manager candidate slate

In the interest of transparency and being more directly involved in the process of selecting a new city manager, the Sarasota City Commission needed a morning workshop and an afternoon-long special meeting to essentially go back to the beginning of the process.

Starting with a field of 51 applicants either recruited or received by the search firm of Colin Benzinger Associates, city commissioners agreed to review all the applicants — now 47 due to four withdrawals — rather than what the firm considered the top eight candidates.

In what was intended on Friday, April 11, to be a morning workshop that would yield a non-specified field of semifinalists during an afternoon special meeting, resistance to the process laid out by the search firm and Human Relations Director Stacie Mason was led by Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch, who advocated starting from scratch — including perhaps selecting a new search firm. Commissioners eventually agreed to publishing the remaining 47 applicants for public consumption followed by at least one more meeting at a date uncertain to cull a list of semifinalists to undergo further scrutiny.

It was the second meeting in which commissioners were unable to come to terms with the list of semifinalists provided by the firm, opting instead to scrutinize the entire talent pool themselves rather than accept the recommendations.

Prior to the April 11 meetings, Colin Benzinger Associates had provided background checks only for its culled list of candidates, following the protocols it had been retained to pursue.

Photo by Andrew Warfield

Ahearn-Koch was adamant in her objection to those processes, careful to blame the commission, rather than the firm or staff, for it not interjecting deeper involvement at the outset. 

At the start of the Friday afternoon special meeting, City Attorney Joe Polzak suggested a “reset” in the wake of the sentiments expressed during the morning workshop. 

“What I would recommend is, for this meeting, you start fresh with all of the 51 applicants that we've received on the table, and then move from there and decide how you want to do winnowing from that list,” Polzak said. 

When pressed by Mayor Liz Alpert for further clarification of his legal opinion, Polzak said, “I think just to avoid any issues in transparency or sunshine — that no legal issues are raised as part of this process — it's best that we just start fresh with that total pool of applicants and you decide publicly today how you want to winnow down from there.”

Following a brief discussion the commission unanimously approved a motion reflecting Polzak’s suggestion, leaving the commission with 47, rather than the recommended list of eight, candidates to consider.

That prompted a broader discussion as Ahearn-Koch questioned whether the commission is on the right track at all. She asked if the entire process could start, literally, from the beginning, even a new round of bids from for search, Colin Benzinger Associates included if it so chose.

Rather than a lieutenant, Benzinger himself was present for last week's meetings. When asked if the city could retain the current list of applicants should with a new contracted firm, he confirmed that the list — and the work performed to date — was property of his firm.

Ahearn-Koch put forth her proposal in the form of the motion which, while seconded, failed by a 4-1 vote. 

Cognizant at least some of the applicants may be watching the meeting online, in addition to city residents, some commissioners fretted over the optics playing out in the process that is struggling to gain traction.

“I feel like we're floundering here,” said Alpert. “It’s a terrible look and I don't like it, and I'd like some guidance from people who should know how this should be done. Is there a way to make this process go forward based on where we are now to make it transparent enough that the community feels comfortable that they've gotten the time to have input?”

Commissioner Kyle Battie agreed.

“What we're doing right now is what should have happened before we even got into this process,” he said. “We’re trying to figure this out in real time and the public is watching us. We are trying to be as thorough as we possibly can to make sure that we get this right, but it is a bit unnerving.”

In the end, commissioners unanimously agreed at a future meeting to be held by May 22, they would reduce the current field of 47 applicants, providing more don’t rescind their applications, to create a provisional semi-finalists list for further consideration and request background checks from the search firm in addition to those already conducted.