On “Pensacola Speaks,” Pensacola City Council President Andy Terhaar said that he executed on Monday the employment contract for the new council executive, Donald Kraher.
An anonymous party had tried to derail the hire be sending to Councilman Larry Johnson information about Kraher’s Missouri law license no longer being active and court documents regarding his Chapter 13 bankruptcy. One of the envelopes also included a clip from the Facebook page of Kraher’s wife where she wrote that she was excited about moving here.
When asked whom he thought sent the information, Terhaar said, “I think it’s someone out there who’s obviously either not in favor of Mr. Kraher or not in favor of the position itself, trying to throw a wrench in the whole process. I think the intent was to have maybe Mr. Kraher look at this and go, ‘Whoa, I don’t want to get into that situation,” and back out and have us start from square one.'”
The council president said that he had spoken with Kraher and the former police chief wasn’t deterred by the incident. Kraher will start work Oct. 12, according to Terhaar.
Why did Terhaar believe Kraher is right for the position?
He said, “I thought he had a great background in public service. He was a police chief, albeit in a small city, but it was a small city outside of a large metropolitan city, so I felt that that sort of training and the people he had working under him showed that he had the good leadership and people experience to help the council.”
Terhaar added, “I liked his attitude. He had a great sense of leadership about him and he felt like he really knew what he was talking about and was very direct. That’s something I think this council needs is someone who can take everything that we’re going to throw at him.”
