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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_Special Meeting_09/13/2018 MINUTES VILLAGE OF TEQUESTA SPECIAL MEETING September 13, 2018 �. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Mayor Abby Brennan at 8:30 p.m. A roll call was taken by Village Clerk Lori McWilliams. Present were: Mayor Abby Brennan, Council Member Vince Arena, Council Member Laurie Brandon, and Council Member Kristi Johnson. Vice-Mayor Tom Paterno was absent. 1. Update on Continuing the Village Manager Candidate Mayor Brennan summarized the events and communication between Council and Village Manager Candidate Tom Bradford to date: Council agreed to initially offer a four-month contract after which they would review and consider a longer contract, however Mr. Bradford wanted a "normal" Village Manager contract but without health insurance. Mayor Brennan reported hearing concerns from employees about rumors surrounding Mr. Bradford and advised that Council valued, supported, and wished to retain staff. Council Member Arena stated that he was ready to search again and was not agreeable to anything but what was offered; this was a chance for Mr. Bradford to get his foot in the door. Council Member Johnson said she was surprised and preferred a short contract. Mayor Brennan referenced a prior meeting in which Council Member Paterno suggested that they wait until the first of the year to search again and use an interim manager until then. Council Member Brandon commented that other candidates would ask for the same as Mr. Bradford requested. Though Mayor Brennan recalled the position as "open until filled", she felt that on the evening of the interviews, it became an immediate decision. After Council Member Brandon inquired about the rumors referred to by Mayor Brennan, she relayed that adverse effect on the Palm Beach Fire Department; an investigation (reported in the Jupiter Courier) regarding anonymous letters; and she had spoken with some former employees. Mayor Brennan acknowledged that risk existed in hiring an unknown person but Mr. Bradford had known history and she was very protective of staff. Council Member Arena reported that Mr. Bradford was unsure how long he would work; there was just too much controversy around him; and Council gave him the opportunity to discount the rumors in four months. Council Member Brandon countered that everyone had history but in this case, it had become known. Upon communication from a resident, Council Member Johnson was concerned about Mr. Bradford's financial aptitude and budget issues that the Town of Palm Beach experienced. Mayor Brennan commented that Mr. Bradford said he wanted the same contract terms as Mike Couzzo but due to community and staff concerns, Council wanted to ensure he was a solid investment for The Village. She was disappointed and agreed with Council Member Brandon that Council take a break from the issue until after the first of the year if this did not move fonNard. Mayor Brennan continued that former Fire Chief Weinand had experience as Village Manager and was available in the interim. Michael Morrill a resident and former Tequesta police department employee stated he worked under both Tom Bradford and Mike Couzzo. Mr. Morrill continued by saying that Minutes — Special Meeting 09/13/18 Page 2 as a union representative, he and Mr. Bradford would be considered adversaries, however in hindsight, he saw that Tom did a good job. He described Mr. Bradford as methodical, felt he would not hurt employees and that Council would be happy with him. Marcia Nielson thought that Council would be remiss to hire Mr. Bradford if staff had come to them with concerns. Whereas Council Member Brandon stated she felt "50/50" as she had no idea what staff was afraid of or of the concerns surrounding him. Mayor Brennan also reported feeling "50/50" but said that was not good enough; even with more confidence in a given candidate, a bad selection could be made. She continued that no one seemed excited about him, which was unfortunate and she reported hearing about Mr. Bradford from the community; unfortunately, limited information was available from Palm Beach with a few exceptions due to a non-disclosure agreement. Council Member Brandon asked about once temporary Village Manager Jim Weinand and Council Member Arena advised that the whole of Council were impressed with his performance while previously in that role. Human Resources Director Merlene Reid explained that in addition to the unlikelihood that he would become the permanent manager, his daughter worked for The Village, which required additional caution even in a temporary situation. Council Member Johnson stated that since she was not ready to commit to the longer contract, her answer was no. Council Member Arena agreed and did not understand why Mr. Bradford would not take the four months to prove himsetf. Council Member Johnson expressed concern that a resident went out of their way to come to her with their concerns. Consensus of Council was to reject Mr. Bradford's proposal. Council Member Brandon advised that residents have noticed the difficulty in finding a Manager. Both Mayor Brennan and Council Member Arena agreed this showed Council was doing a good job of performing due diligence. Mayor Brennan said that The Village had good department heads and a good assistant manager then asked Ms. Reid whether Jim Weinand would temporarily fill the position. Merlene stated that he had worked out in the past. Mayor Brennan stated she was to meet with Tom Bradford the next day; if he was not agreeable, Council would revisit the position after the first of the year and with Merlene Reid's assistance, Jim Weinand would fill in until a new manager was found. ADJOURNMENT: Council Member Arena moved to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Council Member Brandon; motion carried unanimously 4-0 therefore the meeting was adjourned at 9:27 p.m. Respectfully submitted, �n�,�i1 cu,�.�.u� Lori McWilliams, MMC Village Clerk Note: These summary minutes are prepared in compliance with 286.011 F.S. and are not verbatim transcripts of the meeting. A verbatim audio record is available from the office of the Village Clerk. All referenced attachments are on file in the Village Clerk's office.