Residents can meet the finalists Nov. 14 and 15

By Bethany Chambers

Staff writer

ORMOND BEACH - The city manager search here yielded an outstanding group of candidates, officials said recently, and candidates returned the favor, calling a chance to lead this city the opportunity of a lifetime.

Recently, the 85 applicants were whittled down to 10 semi-finalists by city recruiting consultant Eugene Miller and then to five finalists and one alternate by the city commission.

"This is a far better field of candidates than I've experienced elsewhere," said Mr. Miller, a former city manager who has conducted searches for a half dozen other cities.

"I think it's a combination of factors: Ormond Beach is an attractive city from the standpoint of a city manager and potential resident," he said. "It's got a great reputation over the years for being an upscale residential community ... by the beach."

The city's five finalists for the job will visit the city Nov. 14 and 15 to participate in a public interview with the city commission, city tours, a luncheon with city department heads and one-on-one interviews with commissioners.

The top five candidates were not ranked, though early in the final selection process one of them, Anderson, Calif. city manager Scott Morgan, received each commissioner's vote. The other candidates each received three or four commissioners' votes.

Although each candidate has said he or she will attend the weekend event, some of them have other interviews and applications pending, Mr. Miller said. The commission chose Frank Clifton, interim town manager of North Popsail Beach, N.C., as the alternate to attend if a finalist can't make it.

Citizens are invited to meet the candidates at a public reception with light refreshments from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14. at The Casements.

Over the two-day interview, commissioners will be looking for a manager they can connect with and feel comfortable around, Mayor Fred Costello said.

"(They) had outstanding credentials," he said, "but it's about chemistry between the manager and me as an individual and the manager and the commission as a whole."

For their part, the candidates said they would be looking for the same.

Here is a look at the candidates:

Ron McLemore, 62, who has managed four cities, said he's been watching Ormond Beach grow and sees it as "a tremendous opportunity" to interview here, even though it meant canceling a trip to California with his wife to visit his three grown children.

As the Winter Springs city manager for the past 13 years, Mr. McLemore spearheaded a downtown redevelopment project that received statewide recognition.

He could do the same for Ormond Beach, he said.

Mr. Miller said Mr. McLemore, who has a master's in public administration from the University of Georgia, is respected by his peers and elected officials.

Although he had told a newspaper in Winter Springs that he'd like to retire from his job there soon, he said he'd still like to work for at least 10 more years.

"I enjoy working," he said. "I just believe there comes a time when we need a change and new goals."

Joyce Shanahan, 47, has worked in several different cities and government departments in her 20 years of management and has her master's from the University of Pittsburgh.

She said she jumped at the chance to move up to a "beautiful" city that's twice the size of Fort Walton Beach, where she's been city manager for the past five years.

Ms. Shanahan, who received the votes of four commissioners here early on, has twice been a finalist for the Florida League of Cities City Manager of the Year award and is an active member of the Rotary Club and volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.

Mr. Miller cited Ms. Shanahan's financial experience in his semifinalist recommendations.

Although one reference said Ms. Shanahan's weakness is a "soft heart," she said she "considers that an asset, as long as you can be strong, too."

William Whitson, 50, may be the most recognizable name on the list of candidates. That's because he served as assistant city manger in Port Orange for eight years before moving on to a job as city manager of Cairo, Ga. in 2006.

He's currently the interim budget director in Panama City, Fla.

Mr. Whitson said his 10 years working for the United States Environmental Protection Agency would be useful in a city of vast natural resources.

A job in Ormond Beach would bring him closer to his daughter, a student at the University of Central Florida, and would even bring him back to his old dentist: Mayor Costello.

Mr. Miller said Mr. Whitson "knows our community and key Volusia leaders well."

And he likes them, too.

"I think it's the quality of the people here," said Mr. Whitson, who has his master's from the University of West Florida. "They've always been very friendly and there's a lot of progressive thinking in this community."

Marsha Segal-George, 55, is the director of general administration for the city of Orlando and has worked on sustainability and redevelopment projects in communities across Florida.

Commissioner Ed Kelley said he picked her in his top five because of the words used to describe her by her references: no-nonsense and non-traditional. He also liked that she had a law degree from Indiana University.

Although she had a bankruptcy in 1993, which initially had caused some reservations, it was related to medical bills and an improperly filed insurance claim, she told Mr. Miller.

Ms. Segal-George is currently a candidate for city manager in Boulder, Co. and Corpus Christi, Texas, but, Mr. Miller said she expressed wanting to be Ormond Beach's city manager.

Ms. Segal-George did not return a call for comment.

Scott Morgan, the candidate who received the most votes initially, has been city manager in Anderson, in northern California, since 1997.

He was previously an assistant manager in Orange County, Calif.

He told Mr. Miller he was applying for the job here to be closer to his wife's aging parents, who live in Winter Park.

He received high marks on his work evaluations and was described by references as amenable and fiscally conservative.

His one weakness, according to a reference, is that "he is so detail oriented he can almost be too detailed."

Mr. Miller called him "a very close match to our profile" of the perfect candidate.

Mr. Morgan did not return a call for comment.