Gastesi contract up for renewal
County administrator poised to serve four more years
BY TERRY SCHMIDA
When the Monroe County Commission next meets at 9 a.m. Dec. 9, at the Murray Nelson Government Center, in Key Largo, it appears likely that it will approve a contract renewal for County Administrator Roman Gastesi.
Gastesi has served in the position since 2008. His contract, which expires in May, earns the county administrator $192,000 a year plus benefits, and an annual pay increase equal to that of other county employees.
Gastesi is directly responsible for county emergency services, airports, social services, budgets and finance, veterans’ affairs, public libraries, legislative affairs, strategic planning, extension services, and sustainability programs. His team also includes two assistant county administrators, Christine Hurley and Kevin Wilson, as well as an administrative aide.
Gastesi received a positive performance review from the BOCC earlier this year, and has since indicated his desire to remain on the job for the next four years. Gastesi’s contract has already been extended once back in 2012, the same year he narrowly avoided being drawn into a purchasing scandal imbroglio that claimed the job of former county IT Department chief Lisa Druckemiller.
Gastesi appears to have weathered the pitfalls of the county’s top executive job better than many of his predecessors, and can count on the support of at least three of the five commissioners, including current Mayor Heather Carruthers, and commissioners David Rice and Sylvia Murphy.
“Part of that is luck,” Gastesi said, of his longevity on the job. “The timing was important. The commission we have now is extremely profession and dedicated. You usually have one or two [commissioners] who may not be as committed as the others, or getting advice from the wrong people, but what we have now is a group who get advice from everybody and spend a lot of time working on the issues.
“We were also lucky that the economic downturn drove a lot of quality people back into public service,” Gastesi added. “We were able to pick up some great employees that have been of huge benefit to the county. And now that the economy is on the upswing again, we have the tax money to work on a lot of these projects.”
The list of upcoming projects which Gastesi will preside over is indeed impressive.
“There are those complicated wastewater projects we’ve been working on,” he said. “As well as road rehabilitation. We’re working with the state on the Old Seven Mile Bridge restoration project, and improving and rejuvenating Bernstein Park, on Stock Island, Higgs Beach Park, here in Key West, and the Rowles Park, in Key Largo. We also hope to build a couple more fire stations, including one in Sugarloaf, and one in the Summerland Key area. We’re planning a new library in Marathon, and an Upper Keys government center, including a courthouse and jail.
“I’m really looking forward to finishing these projects. It would be fun to stick around and maintain a good working relationship with the commission and community.”
Besides Gastesi’s contract extension, the BOCC will also consider the approval of a bid award for improvements to the Customs facility at Key West International Airport, the issuance of a bid solicitation for emergency pavement repair there, and approval of an amendment to a sewer lateral construction agreement at Florida Keys Marathon International Airport.
The commission will also entertain a proposal to salvage the Ragnar Relay race, which would see its route through Marathon modified to accommodate local traffic and safety concerns.
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