Town Manager Hernstadt takes the helm
As of last week, Fort Myers Beach has a new town manager.
Roger Hernstadt signed a four-year contract to take up the role of town manager during a special meeting Tuesday, April 25, and got to work right away at the workshop following.
It took some convincing, but Hernstadt’s contract was approved unanimously by town council.
Effective April 25, Hernstadt’s salary is $140,000, and after 90 days, it will increase to $155,000. In addition, Hernstadt receives a full benefit package, a $600 monthly vehicle allowance and reimbursement of up to $2,500 in moving expenses.
Gore ultimately voted with her council, but she said she still wasn’t completely happy with it.
“I didn’t want it to be a 4-to-1 vote. I wanted him to feel good about coming in,” she said. “He wasn’t my pick but I can be a team player.”
Gore shared a concern with Council Members Anita Cereceda and Joanne Shamp about a line item in the contract which would have allocated a $400-per month stipend for rent or living expenses.
“I thought the wording wasn’t good,” Gore said. “People are struggling to stay here on the island and here we’re taking their money and giving it to him for rent.”
That item was taken out as it was worded and transferred to the 90-day salary increase.
Cereceda said she had the same concern about the stipend as Gore, but thought the town attorney and Mayor Dennis Boback orchestrated the negotiations well.
“He was telling us the salary we gave him wasn’t enough,” she said. “He didn’t ask for anything out of the ordinary, and I think he’s worth what we’re going to pay for him.”
When the council set out to find a new manager, they set a salary cap of $150,000 as the maximum. The previous manager, Don Stilwell, was paid $10,000 a month or approximately $120,000 a year.
A steep contract is the price to pay for the experience Hernstadt brings to Fort Myers Beach, a quality which most of the council members listed as their top consideration when voting for him.
“I thought he brought a wealth of experience in the coastal environment,” Council Member Bruce Butcher said. “He was going to be an immediate help to the town.”
Hernstadt was selected as the top choice out of 77 candidates during a meeting April 10. He was equally considered against candidate Joshua Gruber of Beaufort, South Carolina. Gruber however did not appear as committed to Fort Myers Beach as Hernstadt, Mayor Dennis Boback said, because he said he would take several weeks to make a decision should the position be offered. The council wanted someone who would be committed to Fort Myers Beach for several years – and Hernstadt made himself immediately available.
“He was the best qualified, and he could start right away,” Boback said.
Hernstadt will step into the role with guidance from Jim Steele, who always made a point to remind the council that he was only the interim manager. Steele will help Hernstadt adjust for several weeks before returning to retirement. Steele was brought in in June 2016 after the council sacked former manager Don Stilwell.
Hernstadt has been in Florida government work for most of his career, starting as a code compliance manager for Public Works in Miami Dade County. He moved on to several other department manager positions there, including public services and administration, assistant director of public works and director of the office of capital improvements. Then, he moved to assistant city manager for the city of Miami. From there, he worked as the city manager of Marathon; and most recently was the city manager for Marco Island since 2014.
Besides his hefty resume of managerial experience, many members of council appreciated the connections he had around the state at various levels of government that he could utilize not only for consultation in Fort Myers Beach but also for negotiations and improvement projects.
His resume did come with a spot on it.
Hernstadt resigned from his position with Marco Island on Feb. 6 of this year.
During the Marco Island City Council’s Feb. 6 meeting, a resident spoke during public comment to speculate on the resignation, saying the resignation was spurred by an action taken by Hernstadt: without council approval he signed an application in the fall that designated the city as a co-applicant on a developer’s application to build a controversial hotel project. The signature did not give the city’s consent for approval of the project, but the action did not sit well. In his defense, Hernstadt said he consulted the city attorney and was told he had the authority to sign, and that the agreement said either party could terminate at any time, and the city council ultimately decided not to participate with the developer’s project.
In a letter to the Marco Island council, Hernstadt said he felt the town might need a “new beginning.” The council majority voted to accept his resignation, and a council member commented that he believed Hernstadt did not feel he had the support of the council, despite support from the community.
The situation was discussed at Hernstadt’s private interviews with the Fort Myers Beach council members.
It didn’t stop Hernstadt from being selected, but he was up-front about the issue. Cereceda asked if he had made any mistakes in his career that he wished to redo, and he specifically mentioned the Marco Island issue, she said.
“I got past it with talking to people in Marco Island,” Cereceda said, adding that her acquantinces in Marco spoke well of Hernstadt.
Gore said that gave her pause, and she felt like he hadn’t meshed as well with smaller communities as well as he had in Miami, but hopes he can adapt his experiences to the barrier island.
“He’s already been very receptive and respectful,” she said. “You can tell right away he’s experienced, and I’m happy we finally got somebody.”
Hernstadt called his first five days as the town manager “interesting” as he learns how Fort Myers Beach does things, but said he’s not going to be one of those managers who comes in and demands everyone change to how he did things at his last job.
“I’m understanding the process in place, and adapting to how things are being done,” he said.
His eye is already turned to the work to be done on the 2017-2018 budget as summer approaches. The council will spend the next few months hashing out priorities and expenditures before a final approval in September.
“There are some big issues,” he said, with the Estero Boulevard and side streets projects the first on his mind. “Code enforcement issues seem to be a recurring thing.”
Hernstadt’s also looking ahead beyond immediate needs for capital projects, saying the town needs to start thinking about what projects will be looming and how to start setting aside money so it can be ready for them.
“I’m learning about pending issues and the issues on council members’ minds,” he said.
Hernstadt and his wife, Jessica, have already moved on-island and are on the hunt for a permanent home by the end of the month.