Martin Murphy, the man who had applied to be Bunnell’s city manager and got the city commission to agree two weeks ago, however reluctantly, to negotiate a contract with him, had asked to be called by phone tonight once the commission was to discuss his contract. The call was placed. Voice mail came up: “Please leave your message.”
Twice. He did not initially answer a text from the city attorney, either.
It was the latest examples in a series of what some commissioners and members of the public described as “red flags” in Murphy’s candidacy, not least among them the way he abruptly left the special meeting last week, when the commission had met to discuss his negotiation demands, which did much to sour one of his supporters: Commissioner John Sowell later said another candidate—Alvin Jackson—had been “more gracious” learning that he’d not gotten the job than Murphy had been after being offered the job.
Well into the commission’s discussion about Murphy’s candidacy this evening, the city attorney finally managed to contact Murphy by text and pipe him in by phone, but it was too late. Commissioner John Rogers had made a motion to reject his candidacy. Appraised of where the matter stood at that moment, Mayor Catherine Robinson asked Murphy if he wanted to say anything. He did not.
Three commissioners had voted to negotiate with Murphy last week—Elbert Tucker, Bill Baxley and John Sowell.
Three commissioners voted against hiring him this evening, with Sowell proving to be the swing voter, joining John Rogers and Mayor Catherine Robinson in opposition. Robinson had been especially put off by the day Murphy had said he’d be willing to start: “He said he wanted to start the last Monday in July, which I was totally surprised about, because on his application he said he would start immediately,” Robinson said, noting that in budget season, “that’s a little late in the game.”
“There’s some things that aren’t adding up for me at the start,” the mayor said. “I’m not convinced that this man is the one.”
“I don’t think Mr. Murphy is a good fit for the City of Bunnell and I don’t think the city of Bunnell is a good fit for Mr. Murphy,” Sowell said in a statement, adding in person: “What I see here is an enthusiasm gap on the part of Mr. Murphy and on the part of this commission.”
Sowell said Murphy should have accepted the job last week, on the spot, after the city had largely accommodated his demands, exceeding its own advertised terms. Instead, he left seeking further negotiations and leaving a start date unmentioned.
Rogers said he’d spoken with Murphy and told him he would not support his candidacy. “I’m just totally disappointed, a man who really wanted this job would be on the phone,” Rogers said before Murphy was reached. Rogers had from the start sought to appoint Jackson, the economic development director in Suwanee County—and tried to do so again Monday, again unsuccessfully.
Five members of the community, including Daisy Henry, a former city commissioner, addressed the commission before the vote, all of them raising issues with the Murphy candidacy, and several of them lobbying the commission to hire Jackson. Elijah Emmanuel, long associated with Bunnell’s Carver Center, said Jackson, who is black, would provide representation that, for blacks, is lacking in Bunnell’s executive ranks.
But Jackson’s application had its own issues, among them advanced degrees from a suspect and now defunct divinity school in Jacksonville. Rogers tried to bring him in for a second interview, but that drew resistance from Tucker, who said candidates’ qualifications would have to be redefined before the next round of interviews.
Commissioners in the end agreed to come back next Monday at a 6:15 p.m. meeting, each with the name of a candidate to interview, drawn from the batch of 18 applicants who’d applied when Bunnell first advertised the job, assuming the candidate is still job-hunting. Commissioners will then decide what qualifications are to hold sway, and who will be interviewed. Meanwhile, Tom Foster, the former police chief who’s been filling in as interim manager, will continue as the interim.
“We’re each 20 percent but at the end of the day we’re all 100 percent for the city of Bunnell,” Robinson said in her final comments at the end of the meeting, speaking appreciatively of her fellow commissioners despite moments that naturally get “intense” at times, and of Foster for continuing in the interim job. She described as “a gift” the fact that the city’s proposed budget is starting off balanced–on Foster’s watch, and of course that of Stella Gurnee, the finance director and a former applicant for the city manager’s job. She had applied two and a half years ago, when certain advanced-degree requirements were not part of the city’s job description. Those requirements may be set aside yet again, pending the commission’s meeting next week.
Lou says
Isn’t time for the Southern establishment to change method of operation and put an end of “managers/administrators” making fools out of elected officials by having a well compensated working MAYOR. That system worked up in Yankee land and should work down here in “Dixiland”..
coyote says
Sometimes I think that I’ve become so jaded by all the ‘bad’ news nowadays that absolutely nothing would surprise me.
Then along comes a surprise, and , even better, a good one.
Thank you City Commission. Now, please don’t make this a one-time example of working for the good of the public.
Really says
What should have added up,were his demands for benefits etc.
Stretchem says
Next!!
Anonymous says
Sounds like Tom Foster is your man.
Jim O says
Great example of local politicians trying to hire City Manger and act like a business. It does not work. This makes all the people involved look silly. There were red flags all over this from the beginning.
Fiscal says
Clearly , these officials have NOT idea of what to do. I see this rampant in Flagler County and Palm Coast.
This is what happens when you elect officials with no business experience and no education.
Gregory A Peck says
Oh no!! Now we might get stuck with him in upstate NY https://genevabeliever.wordpress.com/2018/07/01/city-manager-search-reported-finalist-past-dogged-by-controversy/
I.B.Erudite says
@Fiscal,
Your statement is simply not true. Do your own homework before posting. There are at least two business owners and all are well educated and successful. And when they saw something they didn’t like they did something about it. This is not a bad news story it is a good news story..
Ben Hogarth says
I guess it should be applauded that the Commission rejected Murphy. It didn’t seem like a good match, and it’s equally unnerving to think outside candidates are being propped up. Respect the process and find more candidates. The best corporate consultants will tell you – be quick to fire (a bad employee) and slow to hire. It’s really that simple. If the pool of candidates isn’t appetizing, raise the salary by $10,000 and go from there. Executive recruitment is different than wage employees. It’s a contractual hiring that is separate and distinct from other HR processes. Regardless of the taxpayers angst about salaries for executives, don’t be afraid to raise the salary (within reason) to find the right person.
It’s very competitive out there. If Bunnell has no local candidates, it needs to compete with salary and benefits of others. Murphy wasn’t wrong because he asked for more money – he was wrong for applying to a position with a posted salary different than what he wanted.
It’s poor judgement like that, no city needs.
Anonymous says
Why does Bunnell Florida with a population of around 3500 even need a city manager? If a city that size needs a manager, do you need one that costs $80,000 plus benefits? What good are the Commission Members and Mayor if they can’t handle the major policy decisions without some shadow administrator calling all of the shots? They are already paying a city attorney to advise them on legal issues. Come on you Bunnell elected officials do you jobs or resign. The interim manager could do the job for much less and is already familiar with the local government and residents and problems. I know each of the Commissioners & Mayor personally, and any one of you is competent to manage this small cities’ affairs. What is the problem here, put your heads together and serve the people you were elected to serve, you really don’t need a manager, depend on you department supervisors to carry out your orders and policies after you have made your decisions. You guys want to be, and were elected to be the bosses, so why are you hiring someone else to be the boss at an obscene cost to the taxpayers for a city this size? Do the job you were elected to do and you won’t need to hire anyone to be a city manager.
Doug says
Lou: You said “Isn’t time for the Southern establishment to change method of operation and put an end of “managers/administrators” making fools out of elected officials by having a well compensated working MAYOR. That system worked up in Yankee land and should work down here in “Dixiland”.
Unfortunately, in upstate NY, we are still following the manager/administrator model despite ample evidence that the strong Mayor system would be more efficient, cost-effective and responsive to the voters.
Jim says
Certainly there is one, or maybe two, current City employees that could step up and perform this job. Apparently some of them have been doing it while there was no current City Manager.