County To Take Public Input on Manager Search

The search firm hired by Sarasota County to find the next county manager will hold five meetings in early September to receive citizen input. The Mercer Group of Atlanta plans for a session in each county commission district.

Three of the meetings will be held in in or near the CIty of Sarasota, with one each in Venice and North Port. The sessions are expected to be about two hours each.

The vacancy was created on May 24 when then-County Administrator Jim Ley resigned. The county commission grudgingly accepted a severance package of about $305,000. Former North Port Police Chief Terry Lewis was appointed interim manager.

There was a little controversy about the meetings, after a letter from Commission Chair Nora Patterson surfaced inviting people individually to one of the meetings. In an e-mail to the commission, attorney Dan Lobeck argued the meetings should be open to the public. The e-mail said the personal invitations had the appearance of limiting the public input to a select few individuals.

One of the sessions will be held Thursday, September 8 at 10:30am in the Selby Library auditorium downtown. A second will be held later that day at 2pm in the Edson Keith Mansion at Phillippi Estates Park at 5500 So. Tamiami Trail.

A third session will be held at the North Sarasota Library meting room at 2:30pm on Friday, September 9. All the session will be moderated by representatives of the Mercer Group. A county press release says to meetings will gather public input "on the characteristics and qualities that are important in a new county administrator."