By Dawn Krebs
dkrebs@hometownnewsol.com
FORT PIERCE - He's happy to be back.
Robert Bradshaw, newly hired Fort Pierce city manager had a hectic first week, since officially taking over the city manager seat Nov. 1.
"I'm very appreciative to be here," he said.
But between all the meetings and city business, he was excited at how far the city has come since he last lived here approximately 10 years ago, when he was assistant county administrator for St. Lucie County.
"So much has been accomplished here," he said. "There's so much future potential, as well."
A graduate of the University of Texas and Arizona State University, Mr. Bradshaw holds a master of public administration degree. With more than 17 years of municipal management experience, he said he's ready to help the city commission achieve its goals.
"I'm not a policymaker," he said. "That's the job of the elected commission. Whatever the leadership decides to do, that's what I'll follow."
He credits city employees for all the recent accomplishments the city has made.
"They are a focused, innovative staff," he said. "They can get very positive results with very limited resources. They know exactly what they're doing, and it's paying off."
He plans on using those strong skills to tackle a few of the tough issues the city handles, such as the budget.
"It's at the top of my list," Mr. Bradshaw said.
He plans on addressing other issues, such as economic development and business partnerships, by using a regional approach.
"I want to expand the relationships the city has already developed and move forward from there," he said.
He feels a major part of future economic growth lies with the port.
"The port is the lynchpin," he said. "If we can get some sort of growth going, future growth will springboard off of that."
Right now, he feels the city is full of unlimited opportunities and is looking for input from city residents about what they are interested in accomplishing.
"I want to try to find a consensus so we can move forward," he said. "I'm devoted to this community and its energy, and it's time to get those batteries recharged."