Veliz hired to replace Scholl as Key West City Manager

Veliz hired to replace Scholl as Key West City Manager

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

Without a job interview, without an updated job description or skill set and with a resume submitted only earlier that day, Key West City Commissioners narrowly approved hiring Assistant City Manager Greg Veliz as the new city manager at a May 30 special meeting.

Four commissioners, including Commissioner Mary Lou Hoover, who changed her mind after presenting a resolution to draw up qualifications to use in the application and hiring process of a new city manager, voted to give long-time city employee Veliz the top spot in city government. Three others on the commission, including Mayor Teri Johnston, Sam Kaufman and Greg Davila, wanted to do a statewide search for candidates to replace retiring City Manager Jim Scholl, who is leaving Oct. 1.

The last time the city manager job description was updated was in 2004. Kaufman and Johnston wanted to create a specific skill set for the new city manager to have, including experience planning for sea level rise and climate change, knowledge of municipal and Florida state practices, and experience in creating and implementing a local strategic plan. But the four other commissioners, including Hoover, Billy Wardlow, Clayton Lopez and Jimmy Weekley, said Veliz has proven himself over his five years as assistant city manager, and previous city jobs in recreation and public works departments. Scholl also backed Veliz as his successor, shaking hands with him after the 4-3 vote was finalized.

“I have all the confidence in the world” that Veliz has the skills that commissioners and multiple speakers at the meeting said they wanted, said Wardlow, who had pushed hard for Veliz to be hired.

“Am I disappointed that Greg Veliz will be our next city manager? No,” said Davila, who had campaigned for his commission seat promising to support a national or state search for candidates.

“I make a decision like this with a lot of heart and caring for the city,” said Hoover as she voted to begin contract negotiations with Veliz. “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

Hoover’s vote was the surprise since she had put a resolution on the meeting agenda saying that the commission expressed an intent to “find the most qualified candidate” and “desires to specify preferred criteria and qualifications for consideration in the application and hiring process.” That would have meant commissioners needed to work together to create a skill set for the new city manager before hiring Veliz.

“We’ve all looked at a couple of job descriptions recently. But they, to me, didn’t lay out what it is we’re looking for in a [city manager] and the job responsibilities we’re going to give this person,” Hoover said at the meeting as she introduced her resolution, which was approved after Kaufman asked for some word changes requiring an updated qualifications criteria every time a new city manager is hired. That resolution will not be applied to Veliz’ hiring, however, something that frustrated Mayor Johnston.

“We basically don’t know what we’re looking for but we’re going to hire somebody tonight anyway,” she said. “If you don’t have your skill set and your job description, I don’t know how you move forward.”

Multiple speakers went to the microphone to urge that a candidate search be conducted. And other speakers asked the commission to hire Veliz, recounting multiple examples of how he was qualified to run the city and its $200 million budget. Long-time residents and business owners such as former city Commissioner Richard Payne, Historic Tours of America President Ed Swift, Two Friends Patio restaurant owner Danny Hughes and former Commissioner and downtown entertainment complex owner Mark Rossi supported Veliz, and former city Commissioner Tony Yaniz implored the commission to “give the man [Veliz] a chance at the job.”

But others, including Eric Detwiler, a member of the city Sustainability Advisory Board, and resident Dayna Day supported a candidate search, including interviewing several current City Hall staffers who have expressed an interest in the position.

“Qualifications versus connections,” said Detwiler about the abbreviated hiring process. “Who knows how many other top candidates are interested and are being shut out because the job is only open to one applicant.”

“What message are you sending to all of the other possibly qualified staff candidates,” said Day.

Several speakers pointed to past unsuccessful city managers hired from outside Key West, including Bob Vitas, who was fired one year into his tenure, forcing the city to pay him $120,000 as the remainder of his contract salary. No one who hasn’t been raised in Key West or lived here for many years can understand the “unique character” of the city, the speakers said. And residents won’t be likely to trust a city manager from out of town “for a long time,” said Yaniz.

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