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Two Candidates Withdraw From Consideration For Escambia Administrator, Six Remain
April 26, 2019
Two of the eight finalists for Escambia County administrator have withdrawn their names from consideration in advance of interviews that are set for Monday.
Ricardo Mendez of Miami withdrew due to a family emergency, and Kimberly Washington of Molino removed her name from the list last week. Both were added to the list last week by Escambia County Commission Chairman Lumon May. Mendez was most recently finance director in Sweetwater, FL, and previously served as COO/CFO of Harrisburg, PA. Washington is currently engineering manager with Mississippi Power.
The six candidates remaining on the list, in no particular order, are:
- Craig Coffey from Flagler Beach, FL. County administrator in Flagler County from 2007-2019, has 20 years experience as a city/county manager with extensive Florida county government experience and 11 years additional local government experience.
- Patrick Thompson from Woodbury, MN. County administrator in St. Croix County, WI. Over 36 years local government experience.
- David Strahl from O’Fallon, MO. County administrator in City of O’Fallon, MO. 30 plus years local government administration experience, none in county government.
- Christopher Martin from Gulf Breeze. He served as the commanding officer of Pensacola Naval Air Station and spent 27 years in the Navy.
- Janice Gilley from Molino. She has held the position of vice president of External Affairs at the University of West Florida for 10 years. She served one year as the national policy director for the Foundation for Excellence in Education, one year as deputy chief of staff for the Florida House of Representatives and served as policy director and deputy policy director for year in the Executive Office of the Governor in Florida. She served as an Escambia County commissioner from 2002-2004.
- Cedric Alexander from Pensacola. He has 13 years government experience including deputy chief in the Office of the Mayor in Rochester, NY, public safety director in Dekalb County, GA, and a federal security director for the Department of Homeland Security.
The commissioners will meet with candidate one-on-one Monday morning, April 29 before the candidates appear before the entire board in the afternoon.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Comments
24 Responses to “Two Candidates Withdraw From Consideration For Escambia Administrator, Six Remain”
I am confused as to why Anne states that she watched the BOCC meeting where Commissioners Bergosh, Bender, and Barry added a local candidate to the list of possible administrators, and then states “WE the Taxpayers DESERVE to know which other Commissioners have ADDED NAMES and Who has been Added by Whom.”
This has all been very public knowledge, and the additions happened in the Sunshine on the dais, with the public in attendance. NorthEscambia has run detailed pieces on the administrator’s search that have provided helpful breakdowns at every turn. Where is the mystery? Perhaps Anne missed the follow-up meeting, where Commissioner May added his two candidates and Commissioner Underhill declined to add anyone (which made me wonder if he had already settled on a preference from the FACM’s selections).
When the special meeting happened in December 2018 during which the BOCC voted to employ FACM’s recruitment services, I was so new to the process I didn’t even know what FACM was, and just assumed they were a headhunting firm of some nature. It was a big learning curve with a lot to process, so I was surprised when I learned that FACM (Florida Association of County Managers) functions at least in part as a lobbying group for county administrators in Florida. And that the BOCC did not have any say in which members of FACM would sit the selection committee for Escambia Administrator. I’m sure all the people who served are ethical and performed their services with integrity, but I can’t see how their selections could be completely apolitical. Here is their information packet on their paid recruitment services (click the “HERE”):
http://flmanagers.com/resources/facm-list-serve-2/
I applaud the BOCC for realizing that the parameters of the County’s needs had shifted greatly from the time the search began until the abrupt departure of many top-level County employees. It would have been folly to remain rigid in the structure FACM had recommended, in response to the BOCC’s stated needs, given the urgency to reassess the events of the last month or so. Those events quite rightly resulted in the BOCC realizing they needed to include some candidates with immediate local knowledge in the inteview pool.
As to why people are “bashing” Commissioner Underhill on such topics as the EMS challenges, I can speak to my own reasons for considering him a pressing and grave part of the problem. The primary reason is that he immediately embarked on a misinformation campaign in which he has been posting statements, sometimes hourly, that he knows not to be true. He manipulated dates and timelines to make it appear as if the State DOH investigation was his doing, and when that didn’t work, he turned around to make 4-alarm calls for “the need for an investigation”–one that he knew had already commenced on April 9th. He has been the most problematic factor in the public confusion about Ms. Lovoy bringing in Ms. Kilgore, in intentionally conflating Ms. Kilgore’s County assessment of organizational and communication needs with the Florida State DOH investigation, which is operating independently. To this day, he is still calling for an investigation, although he doesn’t say of what nature.
If Commissioner Underhill believes that the Florida DOH is incapable of handling the investigation into Escambia EMS, then he needs to state which entity he believes should take over that investigation. Beyond that, he needs to remove himself from the process, and get out of the way of the findings. He is only making the job of the investigators more difficult. Makes many of us wonder why.
It amazes me at just how dumb some of these CC are….scarry actually….
Haha, Mr. May, your political grandstanding and lack of regard for the process which you paid for with tax payer money and selected quality canidates but decided appointing your own canidates was better has let you down yet again. Thank God! You need to go!
Mr. Bergosh you too need to go, the commission isnt your priority due to it being your PART TIME 80k a year job and pension plan. Stinks of im in it for a free paycheck and power.
The rest of the commission have only slightly better heads on their shoulders… but you can go as well.
Mr. Bender dont let the rest of the baffoons train you to be like them. Keep a fresh outlook and maybe you should stay.
Everyone who’s bashing Commissioner Underhill for actually standing up and wanting action taken, what the heck is your problem?!?! He is the only one stating FACTS and wanting the TRUTH revealed, as well as for some sort of ACTION to take place! Have you heard any ideas from the other commissioners about how this should be handled other than wanting it handed off? Have you heard any other commissioners call out how unethical it is to have a former director of public safety come in and investigate when she’s got more ties to those involved than you can imagine? If y’all have an issue with Underhill standing up for the truth, then what exactly do you want? For more to be covered up? Just because he is blunt and some people are too sensitive to handle the truth doesn’t mean he’s wrong. Last time I checked, he doesn’t work at a bakery, so he doesn’t need to sugar-coat everything! Start supporting him for having the courage to stand up for what’s right! Call out the commissioners who aren’t!!
Also, if the ordinance is passed, who exactly will hold the County Administrator accountable? You want that person to have free reign? That’s like giving a toddler a flame-thrower and saying, “have fun, see ya later, kiddo!” It’s completely irresponsible!!
We watched the BoCC meeting where the hired and taxpayer paid professional folks told how and why they’d vetted the listing of applicants for County Administrator and boiled the list down to a few for consideration.
OK we thought, some professional non-involved people giving their best efforts to determine which candidates have the better credentials, experience and knowledge for being the New County Administrator. All that done without the insiders and backslappers and “campaign contributors” influencing. WOW, Hope at Last.
THEN, “one of our commissioners” asks if they can ADD to the LIST of FINALISTS.
We were FLOORED, so why need an outside agency to help if OUR Elected Representatives up there are going to ADD their Own Champions to the listing? A short debate took place about HOW MANY Names can be ADDED.
Now we see where Two of the Add-On people from Lumon May’s “extra list” have Withdrawn their names from consideration.
WE the Taxpayers DESERVE to know which other Commissioners have ADDED NAMES and Who has been Added by Whom.
This stinks because if the Commissioners are going to add their Favorites then why pay for an outside agency to determine the better choices?
GOOD OLD BOY POLITICS at its WORSE……Y’all on that high up stage are a Huge Disappointment.
Maybe we need to consider electing the county administrator.
Then let the administrator appoint 5 commissioners.
Or not….
The county needs to clean house in all depths of the county.get the dirty laundry out.goes for comissioners,road dept;down town mgt.this county deserves good people to run it.
The ONLY investigation currently is the one concerning the allegations about the EMT certifications by the Florida State Department of Health. No other investigations have been initiated although that I am aware of. There has been suggestions to do an across the board investigation of the entire County government. If that is to take place I strongly suggest the outside agency directing it look at all levels of County government including the County Commissioners themselves. What is good for the goose is good for the gander!
Now Doug and others would have you believe that certain members of the Administration that have resigned, the reason for them leaving their position is due to being involved in the improprieties. Those are allegations based on wild assumptions at this point, as the investigation continues as we speak. IMO, it is nothing more than an additional smokescreen and diversionary tactic when it comes to the topic of the ordinance Commissioner Jeff Bergosh has proposed. By Dougs reply in the NorthEscambia.com article (and other social media sites…) he is suggesting that he has uncovered some diabolical plot.
“Uncovering the corruption, cover ups, and lies is not creating a hostile workplace” When the TRUTH is, he hasn’t uncovered diddly squat. He is not even involved in the investigation to begin with. What he has been doing by exceeding his powers and duties as a county commissioner however is creating a hostile workplace. One where fear and intimidation are a part of the job description of late. Hence the reason I believe that an investigation covering all aspects of Escambia County government is in order and warranted by his actions as well.
Commissioner Underhill poses the following question below:
“Don’t you get tired of Commissiners [sic] who don’t know what’s going on, can’t give a clear answer…if they give an answer at all?”
Yes, I do. Which is why I felt compelled to remind Commissioner Underhill in a Sunshine email I sent this morning that he is obligated, by law, to fulfill a public records request I made of his office 4 months ago. It was the 8th time in those four months that I have reminded the D2 office that the request is still pending.
it is not a head in the sand ordinance. Look at Bergosh blog. He explains it by FL statutes and it is already basically an ordinance that delineates power and chains of command. Leaking an unfinished investigation and grandstanding is toxic.
A wheel in the cog is not the King.Commissioner can ask questions and work with staff but not coerce nor intimidate beyond your “wheel house” you must stay in your “swim lane” and “swim well” sound familiar?
The will of the board is an appropriate balance of power and is to be respected.
Apparently there are other problems and the employees have not been heard nor hearkened to.
Who leaked the unfinished investigation?
Who stayed off the dais then jumped and danced for channel 3 news?
Of course there are going to be problems in an organization, Be a team player.
One is unable to be a team player and that one is Underhill, he will not self correct. He thinks he knows it all. Nothing anyone says will change his mind. He is a god in his own head.
If the other commissioners sit there like bumps on a log and CYA then there it is.
A couple of you guys– we have a PIO for a reason. Jumping to PNJ and facebook for glory is not your best options
God speed to the new Administrator. Hope you are ready to go to work and tell these five BOCC to maintain a balance of power, listen to your people.
Opinion of one..for what it’s worth
Doug Underhill appears to me to be an angry authoritarian who is not getting his way, so he throws social media tantrums.
Mr. Underhill, your abrasive, arrogant nature is not productive, and your snide remarks about Parkland survivors, protesters, etc, leave me no choice but to conclude you are a Mini-Me trump clone.
You are not cut out for public service, since you seem to think you know it all, about everything.
I hope you get un-elected in 2022, or removed before that.
I’m confused why everyone is blaming Doug Underhill. I’ll be the first to say that he’s a little blunt and sometime a little “Trumpisb” in his comments, however he has been the only one demanding answers, and taken personal interest in fixing what appears to be a very broken system within public safety. I have not heard or seen a word out of Steven Barry’s mouth and regretfully supported him in the past. He seems to have no desire to fix anything or as is the case with Bergosh stick his head in the sand hoping everything will magically fix itself. I do not understand why people would apply to work for Escambia County if they know the pay is below par and a majority of the commissioners on the board refuse to vote for additional resources due to their fear of not being reelected. It doesn’t matter if its roads, maintenance, fire, EMT’s, or deputies, all five of the commissioners need to step up and give these departments what they need. So again, i ask you what’s your beef with Underhill if he’s the only one willing to clean out the GOBC and find out what’s really needed??
and then there were five
I think the chairman may need to plan for a marathon meeting May2
Pack snacks and blankets..adjust the times so it doesn’t run to after midnight.
don’t pull the stunt of moving the “stay in your lane ordinance” to last on the agenda like they did with roundabouts..
Just saying. We will have the administrator by the 29th but I predict there will be some public truth telling after that.
Especially for Mr. Underhill!
I can’t wait for election time to come soon enough…. It is time to clean house!
Well Doug, It should be a clear message to you that you are doing something wrong when the top management all ;quit, and people in the running for county administrator are removing their names from consideration. You and the rest of the Boss Hog commission we have need to get out of the way and let a county administrator do his/her job.
If Doug Underhill wants to run everything in Escambia County, he should apply to become County Administrator.
I’m betting that he won’t.
My bet is that Christopher Martin has already been selected in the back room political shenanigans that goes on in this county. No need to hire consultants to find candidates if you are going to add names to list. Will be voting for new commissioner in district 3.
Hate to say this but there are more problems in other county departments where employees have to put up with a hostile work environment. The Florida Ethics Committee needs to investigate on goings in the county or better yet maybe the Department of Labor needs to step in. Lower staff employees are not treated fairly, some are and others are harass, some get away with misconduct and nothing more than a slap on the wrist while others who work hard and make a mistake get a reprimand. Where is the fairness in this?? Everyone should be treated equal. There is no leadership in this county. Commissioners there are more cover ups than you know!!!
What about a commissioner that has an hour long conversation about a very important incident within one of the county departments and forgets all about it? An incident that cost two people their careers and one person their job. Then turns around on the news and bashes the very staff that informed him of that incident. Sounds like a certain commissioner is causing a hostile work environment. If there’s so much corruption let’s lay it all out for the public to see and fire those involved. Doug, how about looking into the reason you’re loosing so many corrections officers at the jail. The jail is grossly understaffed. Yet, your jail director is piling on more work for the officers and making for very dangerous conditions. I guess it’s going to take someone getting seriously hurt or killed before a change is made.
You can tell who have not managed large groups of employees before. The top doesn’t always get the information on sexual harrassment and other bad behavior especially when it is in the fire and EMS departments. When you think you know it all, you know very little. Use to think you added value to the Commission, now with the current behavior not sure at all.
Uncovering the corruption, coverups and lies in the county staff is not creating a hostile work environment. It is exposing the infection so the healing can begin. Senior staff covered up gross sexual harassment, rampant training failures among EMS and fraudulent qualifications. Jeff’s “head in the sand” ordinance serves no purpose except to give a Commissioner an excuse for not knowing what’s going on and being ineffective. Don’t you get tired of Commissiners who don’t know what’s going on, can’t give a clear answer…if they give an answer at all?
To the remaining six…run while you still can. I can’t imagine working in this environment and being accountable to this dysfunctional commission.
The applicant needs to make sure the BOCC is going to pass the non interference ordinance to stop the hostile work environment created by one commissioner that is causing all the resignations of upper level staff.
The staff needs to speak out against those abuses of power for the record officially and put a stop to the exodus.