This week, Pensacola City Administrator Tim Kinsella will leave his position to join Navy Federal Credit Union. The decision wasn’t easy.
Kinsella called the opportunity “unexpected” and described lengthy discussions with his wife before making the decision. “When opportunity knocks, especially with opportunity like this, it only knocks once. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said in a recent podcast interview.
- The departure comes as Mayor D.C. Reeves faces multiple challenges and major projects, including South Palafox Street redevelopment and the Pensacola Bay Center renovation. Kinsella acknowledged the difficult timing: “My heart was very, very heavy because I loved the city and I loved working with the mayor, and I knew that this was going to come at a very difficult time for the mayor.”
Organizational Overhaul
Kinsella’s most significant change involved consolidating the city’s leadership structure. Previously, two deputy administrators managed different city departments with varying approaches and reported to the city administrator.
- “As soon as I got in, I realized I can’t work like that. That means that you’ve got three people running the city with different leadership styles, different communication styles and all of that, and it doesn’t work in any organization,” Kinsella said.
He took direct control of operational departments, creating what he called “a simple line of communication from them to me to the mayor.” The change created “a whole new level of efficiency” and eliminated confusion about direction, according to Kinsella.
Mayor Reeves explained the new structure at his press conference on Aug. 19.
Outsider Perspective
Coming from military leadership with no municipal government experience, Kinsella said his background allowed him to question established practices. “What it does is, number one, it allows me to come in with a clean sheet with no preconceptions to ask the why are we doing it this way? This seems inefficient.”
Kinsella defended city employees against criticism, stating: “You’ve got folks here that work under very difficult circumstances with very, very difficult tasks ahead of them. But they do it knowing that it’s for the good of their city where they live.”
Major Projects Ahead
Kinsella believed the mayor hiring Ret. U.S. Navy Capt. Clifford Collins as associate city administrator for Strategic Initiatives will help the next city administrator.
- “The administrator, when he comes in, can take all 18 departments, but isn’t worried about running those strategic initiatives. He can worry about the day-to-day normal operations,” Kinsella explained.
His advice for his replacement was direct: “Sit back, learn, listen, don’t do anything for the first three months. Get to know this place. And above all, be an advocate for your directors.”
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