Council to Meet Executive Candidates

Months after its top candidate flinched just before taking the job, the Pensacola City Council may soon be meeting a few more applicants for its council executive position.
The board has been searching for someone to handle the body’s administrative needs.

During Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, Council President Sam Hall pressed City Administrator Bill Reynolds for specifics on how the search for appropriate candidates was going.

“Quite frankly, I’ve asked you guys about this and it’s like pulling teeth—it’s hush-hush, it’s personnel issues,” Hall said. “I haven’t heard anything from you guys, and I’ve asked specific questions.”

The city council was discussing the executive search because Hall had suggested that Elaine Mager—a longtime city employee who has been serving the board since August—be hired as the council’s executive in temporary six-month stints for a period of two years. Other council members felt Mager lacked the appropriate qualifications for the job.

There was some discussion of hiring Mager to help the eventual council executive, but the board focused more on finding a permanent candidate. The council pressed Reynolds on why the administration had not presented them with candidates to evaluate.

Reynolds responded that the administration had consistently attempted to aid the council in its search for an executive. The city administrator suggested that the council had yet to clearly define what it was seeking in an executive.

“I think the lack of clarity on this issue is because this body has not determined what it wants,” Reynolds said.

While Councilman John Jerralds agreed, saying the council was “wandering around in the dark with a blindfold at night,” Councilman Ronald Townsend felt the board members had made clear their desires.

“I think we’re all saying the same thing here,” Townsend said, suggesting that Hall go and speak with Mayor Ashton Hayward personally about the matter.

Councilwoman Megan Pratt said she didn’t understand why there were apparently finalists for the position, but the council had yet to find out.

“I’m feeling frustrated,” she said.

“I am too,” said Hall, asking Reynolds to explain.

The city administrator said that the candidates had just completed some online testing and the city now had the results of those tests. A slate of five candidates would be available “quite literally within two weeks.”

“I just need a thumbs-up,” Reynolds said.

Several council members gave Reynolds a thumbs-up sign. Others thought the board should make their wishes official.

“I think it’d be cleaner,” suggested Maren DeWeese, urging the council to wrap the request inside a formal motion.

Pratt made a motion that the process move forward “as fast as we can.” The council, however, needed something more specific.

“‘As fast as you can’—that’s pretty clear,” Hall said, before the wording was changed to specify that the council would like to see the selection of top candidates by its next meeting.