Village Manager Interview Disaster

Residents Finish Last Again

I walked away from the Village manager Q&A wondering how it could have been more embarrassing and disrespectful to Islamorada residents.  If the goal was to humiliate and demean the process, it was achieved.  What most thought must surely be a joke, was not.  The following question was actually posed to each and every candidate during their initial introduction to our Village:

“If you are hired as our Village Manager, you will be working for a dysfunctional and politically divided Village Council fraught with personality conflicts, and which struggles to compromise and work collaboratively to address the ordinary day to day needs of the Village Government, and has failed to make progress with a strategic plan to address both short term and long-term threats and opportunities.  Also, the tenure last 3 Village Managers was short lived due to resignation or contract non-renewal, and none of the interim managers expressed any interest in applying for the long-term position.  Please explain how you plan to succeed in such a challenging employment environment.”

Why would a Village council member intentionally subvert an important executive search?

Additionally, there were almost 20 questions submitted for selection.  Who would select that insult to the Village as a top three question to ask a group of executive professionals?

It reflects poorly on all of us, thanks to the poor judgement and poor taste of those in whom we have placed our trust.  It further fails to recognize that the question is either not true or is simply a matter of one’s perspective. 

For example, the last Village Manger did not resign.  He wanted to stay, but a majority of the council felt he did not meet the needs of the Village moving forward.  That is government at work.  It is only “dysfunctional” if you disagree with the decision.  The prior resignations occurred under a former council, yet nobody accused them of being “dysfunctional”.  The interim managers were hired to fit that role — with no intent that they ever become permanent. 

Other than seeking to embarrass council to extract some juvenile revenge or humor, this question is plainly aimed to subvert the hiring of a competent manager. 

The bottom-line is that some cannot come to grips with the fact that new council members have their own perspective and direction for the Village, insisting that it must be characterized as “divisive”.

We have been mismanaged by self- serving council members and “good old boy/girl” politics for decades.  The residents’ needs have been ignored, and nothing underscores that more than a question designed to embarrass them and this Village.

Those responsible for the debacle on November 14th, 2023 owe the residents of Islamorada an apology.  It certainly proves to me, yet again, that it is time for new ideas and direction.

Tom Raffanello, President, Islamorada Community Alliance