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Related Links

• Read Richard M. Finn's resume (.pdf)
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• Read Steven T. Thompson's resume (.pdf)

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Starting Monday, five candidates will undergo the interview process for a position held by only one other person in the city’s 10-year history.

Marco Island’s city manager pool began with more than 70 resumes, slowly whittled to 15 through phone interviews, then 11 through City Council discussions. After last week’s council meeting, only six remained. On Friday, Highland Beach City Manager Dale Sugerman withdrew from the running.

Marco Island Public Information Coordinator Lisa Douglass said search firm the Mercer Group informed the city on Friday that Sugerman had dropped out of the race for the $150,000 to $180,000 a year job.

Council last Monday night received three-ring binders filled with 30 to 60 pages of information on each candidate, all of which was gleaned from newspaper articles, candidate interviews, written questionnaires and reference checks.

First thing next week, council will conduct interviews with each candidate in the community room of the Marco Island Police building. The interviews before full council will be televised, starting at 8 a.m. and continuing through 3 p.m., Monday. A meet and greet is scheduled for the candidates and the general public Monday from 6 to 8 p.m., at Bayview restaurant at the Esplanade on Collier Boulevard.

Council is slated to meet in a special session at 3 p.m., Tuesday to make a decision. That meeting, which will also be televised live, could be a short one, search consultant and Mercer Group Senior Vice President Tom Freijo has said. Most City Councils only need a couple of votes to make a decision, though he urged the Marco Island City Council to choose a front-runner and a secondary candidate in case anything falls through with the first choice.

Freijo said having a second candidate in mind would also facilitate the negotiation process, if the clear favorite knows he could be supplanted. The position of Marco Island city manager was advertised with a pay rate of $150,000 to $180,000. Former City Manager Bill Moss, who was hired away by Naples in October, was making $161,000 upon his exit from Marco Island.

Get to know the candidates:

Richard Finn

Though Rick Finn has worked in city administration since 1976, he has actually spent the last four years earning a doctoral degree in public administration from the University of Baltimore.

Finn, one of just two candidates with no Florida experience, has spent much of his career in the Midwestern states. He started out in the village of Elk Grove, Ill., from 1976 to 1984, where he moved up from the position of administrative intern to personnel director within just three years. From there, he moved up to the city of Sun Prairie, Wis., from 1984 to 1993, then Sandusky, Ohio from 1993 to 1998.

In his last post, as the city manager of Takoma Park, Md., from 1999 to 2004, he oversaw 160 employees and a budget of $45 million for that city of 30,000 people. His salary there was $110,000, and he indicated that his desired salary would fall within the advertised range for the position.

Finn told Freijo he could start within 30 days.

Finn said he was drawn to Marco Island because of its high quality of life and its status as a relatively new city. Sun Prairie, Wis., was a brand new city at the time he became its first professional administrator.

"He enjoyed the challenge of a new form of government," Freijo wrote from his interview with Finn.

While in Takoma Park, he said, he improved relations between the city and the county government. The result was that he secured a larger share of tax dollars for the city when the county made appropriations, he explained.

"This increase in revenue for the city was made possible based solely on the establishment of a positive working relationship between the city and county," Finn wrote in his questionnaire responses.

A former subordinate from Takoma Park said he was extremely skilled at dealing with members of the public. He was described by references to Freijo as "one of the best supervisors ever" and was said to be a clear communicator.

"He is very diplomatic," another reference reportedly told Freijo. "He is very tactical and a great manager."

Finn reported that his own greatest weakness is that he tends to be "over-trusting."

Finn also has experience with water and wastewater treatment, including overseeing upgrades to the system in Sun Prairie.

Steve Garman

Steve Garman earned a masters in public administration from the University of Oklahoma in 1969 and has since worked in government in Oklahoma City, Okla., Westminster, Colo., Pensacola, Fla. and currently, Decatur, Ill.

He has served as city manager of Decatur since 1999, overseeing 550 employees and a budget of $125 million. There, he has overseen major revitalization projects associated with the Midwestern city, even as it experienced population loss.

With a population of 80,000, Decatur is the second largest city managed by any of the candidates. Garman is also in charge of the largest budget of any candidate.

He went to Decatur after a 14-year career at Government Credit Corporation in Pensacola from 1985 to 1999. He took a $60,000 pay cut when he left the private sector to re-enter municipal government in Decatur.

Freijo said Garman told him he left that company because it had become successful and he was offered the equivalent of an early retirement plan along with several other employees.

In that post, he has dealt with a number of controversies over race, including a restructuring of city departments that led to pickets by the local chapter of the NAACP alleging institutionalized racism. One department head, a black man who was moved to a position with less subordinates but higher pay, eventually filed a complaint with the Illinois Department of Human Rights and worked out a settlement with the city.

Garman actually turned in his resignation with Decatur at the beginning of the year, to become effective in October. However, Garman said he could start work on Marco as early as June 1.

In the materials Freijo compiled on Garman, no reason is given for Garman’s resignation from Decatur.

Garman’s current salary is $131,000 a year, and he told Freijo his desired salary falls within the advertised range.

In a Jan. 25 story in the Herald & Review, the local newspaper, Decatur Mayor Paul Osborn said, "If you look at where the city was nine years ago and where it is today, certainly you can see a lot of Steve Garman in those projects."

Garman told Freijo he prides himself on careful budgeting, mostly through minimizing staff and maximizing their output.

"He got the city back on its feet after facing dire financial straits," the Mayor of Decatur told Freijo. "He trimmed the payroll and we had no tax increases."

However, some said his people skills can be a little rusty, leading to perceptions of coldness or aloofness.

"His public persona is probably not what you’d want it to be," one reference told Freijo. "He isn’t much of a people-person, but he’s very pleasant."

Garman told Freijo himself that his greatest weakness is "winning over others."

But subordinates and city council members also reported to Freijo that Garman handles stress well.

"He understands that in the most amicable situation, people still disagree," a subordinate said. "He handles this very well. He understands that this is part of the job."

Another reference was clear that Garman was not being forced to leave, but was setting out to explore other options.

Richard Gestrich

Except for a one-year stint as town manager in Jupiter Island, Fla., Gestrich has spent his 25 years in government managing two cities in the same county in Pennsylvania. Gestrich started his career, briefly, as an attorney with a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh earned in 1981.

After that, he became township manager of Upper Makefield Township, Penn., a post he occupied for 23 years, until 2005. He then spent just a year in Jupiter Island, Fla., before reportedly being recruited away by Middletown Township, Penn., in the same county in which he began his city management career.

Gestrich has been in that town of 55,000 since 2006, overseeing 107 employees and a $47 million budget. Gestrich currently makes $117,000, and advised that the advertised salary fit into his expectations. He could begin within 30 days of being hired, according to his interview with Freijo.

Gestrich is another candidate that reported a strength in fostering inter-governmental cooperation. He is a self-described workaholic who said his greatest weakness is placing his professional life before his work life.

Though Gestrich’s experience in Florida is minimal, he reported extensive experience with disaster management because of floods brought on by the Delaware River in Pennsylvania.

"Due to the regularity of flooding, I became battle hardened and extremely proficient in the coordinations of our multi-faceted emergency response team."

He helped Jupiter weather the storm of Hurricane Wilma in 2005, and reports that municipal services were back up and running and residents allowed to return within 24 hours. He also helped shepherd that city’s project to place electric wires underground.

Gestrich said he enjoys and is seeking an environment with sophisticated residents, and that he "loved the interaction and synergism" associated with communities like Upper Makefield.

One peer in Jupiter Island said of Gestrich, "He’s a hands-on manager. He likes to take projects and see them through to completion."

A subordinate in Upper Makefield said Gestrich is "fair and tough at the same time," which made operations in the city run smoothly.

However, Gestrich’s short stay in Jupiter Island appeared to be a bone of contention among some references there, though he was praised for doing a good job.

"There was a good relationship, but not outstanding," the reference said. "He wasn’t here long enough to get the warm and fuzzy feeling. He got along with everyone. He built relationships with them. The staff went from good to very good."

James Malloy

James Malloy earned his masters degree in public administration from the University of Colorado in 1987, and the first two posts he occupied between 1987 and 1992 were in Colorado county governments. He is one of the two candidates with no Florida experience.

He then made a move to Monticello, N.Y., where he took over as Village Manager until he was fired in 1994. In his interview with Freijo, he explained the move was purely political and undertaken by a new mayor after a majority of the town’s elected officials were removed by the courts.

Since 1994, Malloy has been town administrator of Sturbridge, Mass., a residential and tourism-based community with a seasonal population of 25,000 and a permanent population of 10,000.

Part of the town’s centerpiece is Old Sturbridge Village, a recreation of a "typical New England Village" from the early 1800s. He helped get the historic village back on its feet when it was in financial trouble, a fact he reported feeling very proud of.

Sturbridge oversees a utility that provides water and sewage treatment to more than 1,900 connected properties, up from 400 roughly a decade ago. He helped steward the community through an expansion of sewer facilities to replace the town’s slowly failing septic systems.

At the time, he said, he held community meetings to address costs, expectations and possible disruptions, and votes on the program always garnered more than 90 percent support in the community.

Recent news stories reveal something of a rift with some of the elected officials in the city, which many references explained by pointing to a general contentiousness in the community.

"He handles (stress) extremely well on a daily basis," one peer said. "He is in a challenging community. He handles these things publicly."

A subordinate called him an excellent mediator, and another reference said he acts as an "ambassador," always remaining neutral and staying out of unnecessary conflicts.

However, Malloy said of himself that his greatest weakness is that he is impatient with "persistent complainers," according to Freijo.

"He indicated he is there to provide service and he listens to complaints," Freijo wrote. "However, some citizens come back over and over and this can try his patience. He indicated that he still tries to respond appropriately, but he tends to put up a wall after a period of time."

In Sturbridge, Malloy administers a $23 million budget and a staff of 100 employees. His current salary is $110,000, and he expressed confidence that the advertised range would fit his expectations.

Malloy, who must give six weeks’ notice to Sturbridge selectmen, said he could start by early June.

Steven Thompson

Steven Thompson is the second candidate with recent experience in the state of Florida, as the city manager of Deltona from 2006 until recently. He informed that city he was looking for employment elsewhere at the start of the year, and later handed in his resignation, which was accepted 4-3.

He also testified that he knows Bill Moss personally, and has gained a strong sense of Marco Island from his discussions with Moss.

Thompson earned a masters in public administration from the University of South Carolina in 1980 after several years as a research analyst. He then worked in Richland County, Aiken and Greenville, S.C., through 2000.

After five years as city manager of Virginia Beach, Va., he became a special consultant for the Innovations Group before moving on to Deltona. There, he oversaw an $80 million budget and 1,000 employees in the largest city of any candidate, with a population of 90,000 .

Thompson was earning $146,000 at the end of his employment and indicated that his expectations fell in the lower part of the advertised range, from $150,000 to $160,000. Thompson told Freijo he could start almost immediately.

A self-described "people person," Thompson said he frequently attends community watch meetings to stay connected with residents and get a feel for issues of concern. He said he understands the fact that people desire personal communication with council members or the city manager.

"Personal contact is usually pleasant and civil and I enjoy it," Thompson wrote.

He said he also places an emphasis on written communication with residents, including placement of articles in local newspapers and city-produced publications. He provides his council with a weekly update, which he also posts on the city website, he said.

A superior in Deltona said Thompson had a tendency to try to please everyone, a near impossibility in government.

"All of his employees respect him," said another superior. "He doesn’t lead by fear. He gives you the liberty to run your own department."

One subordinate told Freijo that Thompson "never tries to direct the meetings. He finds out what their directives are and works toward them."

Yet another reference said that Thompson was careful in his role — that he would add ideas, but was always "careful not to step on their toes."

Monday interview schedule:

8 a.m. Richard Finn

9 a.m. Steve Garman

10 a.m. Richard Gestrich

11 a.m. James Malloy

2 p.m. Steven Thompson

3 p.m. city tour for candidates

6 to 8 p.m. Meet the Candidates social

* Council convenes in a special 3 p.m. televised session Tuesday to make a decision.