Volusia County Manager Jim Dinneen’s announcement that he will be “packing his bags” come Jan. 11 might seem like a long time off, but for people with insight into the hiring process of a county’s top administrator, that doesn’t leave any time to be wasted.
To get a sense of what would come next and how the process might work, The News-Journal spoke with former County Manager Larry Arrington; retired Stetson professor T. Wayne Bailey, one of the architects of the county charter; former County Chair Frank Bruno; and longtime Councilwoman Pat Northey. What follows is an overview of their expectations for the next six months.
First steps
The clock starts ticking at Tuesday’s County Council meeting. A provision in Dinneen’s contract calls for a six-month transition period following the first council meeting after the manager’s resignation. The council may choose to waive the transition period, but that would mean choosing an interim to serve while a search is conducted.
“Him staying on and helping the County Council with getting another manager is the right way to leave,” Bruno said. “It seems like everything comes to a stop (when there’s an interim manager) because everybody’s in limbo.”
Arrington called the extended timeline brilliant.
“That gives everyone breathing room to follow the process,” he said.
After recent controversies over impact fees and operations at the medical examiner’s office, the process is the key to bringing a sense of stability to county government, Northey said, and it begins immediately.
“They have to go into Tuesday’s meeting with an idea of what they want to do,” she said. “You have to think about the process. That’s what calms the water.”
National search
All of the experts recommended that the county hire a headhunter firm to lead a nationwide job search. But the first step would be for council members to meet and flesh out what they’re looking for in a new manager. For that to be effective, Arrington suggested the council first look to themselves.
“They need to do a lot of soul searching about where they are and how people are perceiving the job they’re doing,” he said, “so they can determine what kind of manager they need to build on their strengths and overcome their weaknesses.”
Once a hiring firm is chosen, it could take at least a couple of months to gather the applicants and vet them. Bailey said the council may consider involving residents.
“They may wish to appoint a community-based group to screen the results of the search firm,” he said.
Picking one
With an election in November that could affect four of the seven council seats, plus a ballot measure that could impact the county’s charter form of government, the experts saw little sense in trying to make a choice before then.
“I think the new council has to choose,” Northey said.
Any new council members — and there’s sure to be at least one, with at-large Councilwoman Joyce Cusack facing term limits — won’t take office until January.
The current council will have to decide how much of the process to leave to the 2019 class. For example, how many finalists will they bring in for interviews? Will the interviews be conducted by the current council or the new council?
Given some recent controversies over transparency, Arrington recommended creating opportunities for the job finalists to meet with the public, including business and community leaders and the county’s other elected officials — sheriff, property appraiser, elections supervisor and clerk of courts.
“We need someone who can build good relationships,” he said.
In the end, it will come down to a vote of the County Council. While it only takes a simple majority to fire a manger, five of the seven members will have to agree to hire a new person, under the rules of the county’s charter.
Volusia has had a track record of making good choices, given that the county has had just four managers since switching to its charter form of government in 1970, Bailey said.
“That shows a remarkable stability,” he said, “and show there was great care in the process.”