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Sizing up the new guy: Thompson’s contract awaits Marco council approval

By LESLIE WILLIAMS (Contact)
Thursday, April 17, 2008

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Marco Island city manager candidates may have fielded questions from only seven people Monday, but they were being scrutinized by countless eyes on live television.

Residents also got a chance to size the candidates up in person Monday evening at a meet-and-greet. So, what do some of Marco Island’s dedicated local political pundits think of Steven Thompson, City Council’s choice to become next city manager?

“Based on what I’ve seen, I think it was a good choice,” said former City Councilor Mike Minozzi. “He sounded like he was well-experienced and he certainly had a good handle on what it is to run a city, and based on what I’ve seen of him I am impressed.”

Marco Island Taxpayers Association founder Fay Biles said Thompson seems like a good candidate, but she had her money riding on someone who never made it to the island for interviews.

“(Dale) Sugerman would have been a good choice, but he pulled out,” Biles said. “I pretty much went along with what (council’s) vote was.”

Sugerman, the current city manager of Highland Beach, Fla., removed his resume from the running less than a week before interviews. Marco Island officials learned that he was dropping out of the race the morning of April 11, the Friday before an 8 a.m. start to the two-day interview process.

That left the city with a pool of five candidates from whom to choose.

“I think Thompson is fine,” Biles said. “He’s the only one who knew Bill Moss, and I have the feeling that Bill Moss said it’s a good job, and might have referred him.”

During interviews with both search consultant Tom Freijo and before the City Council, Thompson said he knew Bill Moss and had learned about background issues in the city from Moss. Both Moss and Thompson hail from different areas of South Carolina, where Moss was once city manager of North Myrtle Beach, and Thompson was city manager of both Aiken and Greenville.

Reached for comment Wednesday, former City Manager Bill Moss said he thought the Marco Island City Council had arrived at an excellent decision.

“I think City Council has picked an excellent candidate,” Moss said. “He’s one of the best professional managers I know. He works well with people, he will work well with the community.”

Moss, who was hired soon after Marco Island incorporated, has been the only permanent manager in the city’s 10 year history. He said he will make himself available to Thompson to assist with his transition into the city.

“He already knows that, but anything I can do to assist in the transition, I will,” Moss said.

Biles added that she was surprised five out of the seven members of City Council agreed on the same candidate, Thompson.

“I think there’s a common thing running through there,” she said.

The approach used to arrive at a top candidate was something of a process of elimination. Council started by taking votes for their top three candidates, then worked to whittle the list of three to two, until they finally arrived at a top contender.

Councilors Ted Forcht and Chuck Kiester both cast votes for James Malloy, the current city manager of Sturbridge, Mass. However, after the special-called meeting they both expressed confidence in Thompson’s abilities to lead the city. As a show of solidarity, the whole council took part in a final unanimous vote to select Thompson as the top choice.

Malloy will be tapped as the second choice if negotiations on Thompson’s salary should fall through. Council Chair Bill Trotter was charged with fostering contract negotiations after the meeting Tuesday, along with City Attorney Alan Gabriel.

Trotter said the meeting ended with Thompson requesting 48 hours to consider the city’s offer. That time period passed after the Eagle’s print deadline Thursday, however an item is on Monday’s consent agenda before City Council to approve a contract with Thompson.

Contrary with tradition at most council meetings, council chambers were very sparsely populated during the interview process, in spite of great community interest in the selection. It might be due to the recent capability for meetings to be viewed live from both cable providers on the island, as well as via streaming video on the city’s Web site.

“I was really overwhelmed at the candidates event,” City Public Information Coordinator Lisa Douglass said.

She reported getting a lot of feedback from residents who gushed about being able to sit in the comfort of their living rooms or at their offices to watch the interviews take place.

Biles was among the many residents taking advantage of the new option. She said she did not miss a word, and carefully took notes for the next MITA newsletter.

“I think it speaks volumes to the council’s desire to have a transparent government,” Douglass said. “It’s the greatest opportunity was have to communicate and articulate with people.”

Comments

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What kind of relationship does Ms. Williams and John Arceri have? Do some background on him and you will discover that he is not what he seems. He may have served as a Councilman but he ran unopposed and served without any contiuency. When given a second chance to run for a second term, he showed no courage. He declined because even he knew, he could not win against another candidate. Now, you seek his opinion on numerous stories. Why do you perceive him as the grand old sage of Marco Island? This fellow wasted millions of our tax dollars buying a water treatment plant that was falling apart. Sewer infrastructure that was failing and continues to leak raw sewage. He let the previous owners of the plant rape and pillage the company without making any demands to recoup lost resources established for the plant's refurbishment and upgrade. To make up for his lack of due diligence he developed and promoted the STRP, a multi-million dollar program that was so ill conceived it caused three years of political conflict on our island. I ask again, who cares what he thinks? Send his opinions to the rubish bin where they belong. He is a retired municipal mid-level executive whose greatest achievement is becoming a Marco Island Councilman. Do a story on this guy and maybe you will learn something about him.

#1 Posted by Lolala on April 18, 2008 at 8:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Lolala: What the hell are you ragging on Arceri for? He isn't even mentioned in this article.

#2 Posted by Fossil on April 18, 2008 at 8:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Fossil: Sorry, been out of town for awhile. Trying to catch up. I meant for this post to be placed on the article Ms. Williams wrote and published on Monday April 7, 2008 "Marco's Notable Dissent Groups Fall Quiet". Ms. Williams used John Arceri as an authority source for Marco's "dissent groups" formally known as CAVE DWELLERS. Just wanted to let both of them know that the CAVE DWELLERS have not all left town for good. We reserve the right to voice our concerns whenever our local government tries to take advantage of us. So far the current Council and our new City Manager have done well. Keep your fingers crossed.

#3 Posted by Lolala on April 18, 2008 at 8:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Lolala, if you lived here for more than a couple of months a year you would have a right to voice your critical opinions of our fine council members.

Whoever you are I am certain that you have done NOTHING productive or positive for our community! If the Eagle was going to do a article on an individual why not choose someone with a more colorful background like Frances X. Neylon (Contractors Hall of Shame in MA) or Bill McMullan (scores of information about his background as ex-Vice Mayor of Kissimmee).

You are just a typical CAVE Dweller who can't get over the fact that you, your friends and your candidates are all losers who tried to hijack our community.

Fortunately, the real leaders of Marco Island are STILL in power and you and your kind are NOT!

THANK GOD!

#4 Posted by Soloman on April 18, 2008 at 9:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree Soloman, we have so many exciting and positive things happening in our community now that names like Columbo, Biles, Putnam, Davies, Foster, Erickson, Glaub, McMullan, Hall, Neylon, Guidry and some of the other chronic complainers have shut their traps. As you said, they have never done anything for our Island! With a new energetic and devoted council Lolala finds fault with a councilor from four years ago...not surprising. He must get his daily fix of negativity.

When it came down to voting the residents of Marco Island had their say! They said good bye to the negativity and vile behavior of some self-servicing arrogant individuals with personal agendas. Where are these negative loud mouths now? Where are they when it comes time to give back to the community? Have never seen any of them at a Chamber After Five. Never see them at parades, the Tree Lighting ceremony, fund rasing efforts, parks and recreation projects. Point is, they only complain; it's like a disease.

Someone said there was a U-Haul in front of Davies house...we can only hope that the rest of the naysayer cabal get the message and know that they are no longer wanted here!

I think that Erickson is the only die-hard loser that still blogs. The rest have gotten the point; he is dense, slow or maybe has hardening of the arteries.

#5 Posted by 27_Year_Resident on April 18, 2008 at 10:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Yes, Mr. Davies has left and has a job as a Police Officer in a Community in Indiana, I think. Lolala does not know the first thing about the water utility. If we had not purchased it, we would be paying third parties to upgrade it and we would be paying more for water than we are now. I find it interesting that Lolala complains, but probably does not know that Dr. Biles chaired the Committee that oversaw this utility when it was not ours and was a key reason that the utility was in such poor condiditon. They (the Board) allowed the owner to siphon monies off to up North rather than improve the Plant. Lot's of research and history. But Lolala would rather just spew out the mouth.
Mr. Arceri is a registered engineer in Florida and New York (I did the research). Your duly elected Council made all those decisions, not just one person. What are your qualifications Lolala ??
Ed Issler

#6 Posted by lauralbi1 on April 21, 2008 at 9:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)



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