The Palm Coast City Council at its evening workshop on Tuesday will further narrow its list of finalists for city manager to the handful it will interview in person. It will do so based on the last two tasks the council asked the remaining candidates to fulfill: a video response based on a set of questions submitted by the council, and a short paper outlining the candidate’s vision for his first year. (There are no women candidates remaining in the pool.) See how the candidates were scored when in the original pool, here.

Here, in their own words, are each candidate’s videos and vision papers. Neither the videos nor the papers have been edited beyond what the candidates submitted:

David Fraser
Michael McGlothlin
Anthony Schembri
Thomas Thomas
Carl E. Geffken
Norm West

 

David Fraser:

David Fraser: My Vision for the First Year as City Manager

Introduction: Setting a Foundation of Trust and Purpose

Assuming the role of City Manager for the City of Palm Coast represents both a privilege and a profound responsibility. Palm Coast stands at a critical point in its evolution — a community defined by its natural beauty, a growing and diverse population, and a clear aspiration to sustain an exceptional quality of life while managing inevitable growth. My first year as City Manager would focus on building a strong foundation of trust, operational excellence, and strategic alignment between the City Council, staff, and residents.

I have learned that leadership in local government requires three key attributes: clarity of vision, integrity of process, and consistency of communication. These values will shape every initiative undertaken during my first year. My goal is to ensure that Palm Coast operates as one cohesive organization — mission-driven, accountable, and responsive to the needs and expectations of our residents.

1.  Establishing Strategic Clarity and Organizational Alignment

During the first ninety days, I would work closely with the Mayor and City Council to reaffirm the

City’s strategic priorities and desired outcomes. This process would include reviewing existing plans, such as the Comprehensive Plan, Capital Improvement Program, and budgetary framework, to ensure they align with the community’s long-term vision.

I would initiate a process to engage department directors, and key staff in clarifying priorities, identifying performance metrics, and establishing timelines for implementation. The outcome would be a concise and actionable; directly tied to measurable outcomes and community priorities.

Equally important is organizational alignment. I would evaluate the City’s internal structure to ensure it supports cross-departmental collaboration, clear lines of accountability, and timely decision- making. A well-organized structure allows the City to respond more effectively to residents,

streamline processes, and achieve results that reflect the Council’s policy direction.

2.  Strengthening Operational Excellence and Fiscal Stewardship

Operational excellence begins with disciplined management of resources and transparent performance reporting. My experience in both city and county management has reinforced that the cornerstone of public trust is fiscal integrity. In Palm Coast, I would immediately review major funds and enterprise operations to ensure they are financially sustainable and properly prioritized.

3.  Managing Growth and Infrastructure Responsibly

Palm Coast’s rapid growth presents both opportunities and challenges. My first-year vision includes a implementing a coordinated growth management strategy that integrates land use, infrastructure capacity, and environmental sustainability. Working with the Planning, Engineering, and Community

Development departments, I would lead a review of planning related to growth and development, ensuring consistency with the City’s long-term livability and character.

4.  Building a High-Performing Organizational Culture

Operational success is only sustainable when supported by a strong internal culture. Creating a culture of excellence means valuing innovation, recognizing performance, and maintaining open communication across all levels of the organization. I would institute regular employee meetings and department visits to stay connected with employees, listen to their insights, and foster a sense of shared purpose.I strive to foster a City organization where staff feel proud of their work, empowered to solve problems, and aligned with the City’s mission to serve residents with integrity and professionalism.

5.  Enhancing Transparency, Communication, and Community Engagement

The success of any local government rests on the trust of its residents. I would prioritize transparent communication and proactive public engagement during the first year and throughout my tenure. I would expand digital communication platforms and explore community engagement tools that make it easier for residents to provide input and track progress. By promoting open dialogue and consistent outreach, we ensure that residents not only understand the City’s direction but feel that their voices genuinely shape it.

6.  Advancing Economic and Community Vitality

A balanced local economy supports fiscal sustainability and community well-being. I would work closely with the City’s economic development partners to strengthen Palm Coast’s competitive position for targeted industries such as technology, healthcare, and light manufacturing.

Equally important is supporting small businesses and fostering entrepreneurship. By streamlining permitting processes and modernizing development review procedures, the City can create an environment that encourages investment while protecting community character.

Community vitality also extends to parks, recreation, and quality-of-life amenities. My first-year vision includes aligning capital investments in these areas with long-term sustainability and resident priorities, ensuring that Palm Coast remains not only a place to live, but a place to thrive.

Conclusion: Leading with Integrity, Service, and Results

The first year as City Manager is about establishing credibility — with the City Council, staff, and community. My approach will emphasize collaboration, clarity, and results. Through a balanced focus on operational excellence and leadership development, we will build on Palm Coast’s previous successes and foster an organization capable of delivering world-class service and achieving measurable progress toward Palm Coast’s strategic vision. I am committed to leading with transparency, professionalism, and a deep respect for public service.

Michael McGlothlin:

Upon review of the key issues, concerns, and strategic initiatives relevant to the Palm Coast community, it is evident that several critical priorities must be addressed. These include managing growth and capital investment projects, resolving infrastructure challenges, advancing economic diversification and western expansion, and enhancing internal succession planning along with recruitment and retention efforts. These areas represent actionable priorities that staff and I will address promptly, in support of the policy direction and goals established by the City Council. Accordingly, I am pleased to present the following “First-Year Vision” for your review and consideration.

This vision outlines a holistic, multi-phased strategy for strengthening governmental operations.

It reflects a commitment to collaborative engagement with all relevant stakeholders and

recognizes the need for flexibility in responding to unforeseen circumstances or emergent issues that may arise throughout the course of implementation.

Phase I (Months 1 – 4): Listening, Learning, and Relationship Development

• Develop Internal Relationships: Initially, I will communicate to all my

philosophy and intent with my “open door” policy provisions. As well, I will

schedule in person one-on-one meetings with each City Council member to fully understand their priorities, concerns, and expectations. Additionally, weekly

meetings with Department Heads, Managers, and key City Staff to communicate organizational “hot topic” issues will commence.

• Community Connections: I will proactively seek connection and engagement opportunities with citizens, business leaders, community groups, and the faith- based community to communicate the goals established and prioritized by the City Collaborating with Staff for efficient responsiveness and referring to the applicable subject matter expert as needed; with follow-up to ensure

resolution of the identified concern. Strong community connection and

engagement are critical for building trust, ensuring transparency, and fostering a sense of shared responsibility in shaping the City’s future.

• Organizational Review: I will complete an executive-level review of the City’s departments to learn their operations, staffing, and processes; along with any

associated needs. A data-driven approach will help us identify both immediate opportunities as well as concerns, assisting in the planning process for our

organizations short-term risk management considerations as well as our long-term sustainability processes. Succession planning activities initiated, along with my “Train Up” philosophy introduced, from the Department Head level to the City

Manager’s position, with the primary goal of building from within.

• Budgetary Review: I will complete a thorough review of all pertinent budget

documents; the annual budget as proposed/approved, annual financial reports, and ongoing capital projects to confirm the City’s financial health and understand its obligations.

• Operational Emphasis: Relying on the “buy in” and assistance of Staff, focus on exceptional service delivery while providing infrastructure maintenance,

public safety operations, financial activities, and administrative duties upon behalf of the City.

Phase II (Months 5 – 9): Strategic Planning and Goal Setting

Working with the City Council and Staff to develop a clear strategic plan for the community:

• Collective Goal Establishment: I will facilitate a workshop with the City Council to speak about goals already in place for the upcoming year and will ensure that all developed plans, visions, and goals (CIP, SAP, 2050

Comprehensive Plan, Prosperity 2035, etc.) are aligned and mutually supportive of one another. Infrastructure needs, strategic growth, and funding

considerations/opportunities will also be core to these discussions.

• Accountability Measures: Working with the City Council and Staff, efforts to develop and implement a system for performance measurement to ensure progress with Council goals will commence. Success metrics and evaluation

timelines will need to be developed during this process.

• Communication Plan Development: Formalization of communication channels between the City Manager, City Council, Staff, and the Public; focusing on the use of the municipal website and social media to keep constituents informed.
• High-Priority Concerns: Working with the City Council to develop clear strategies for critical development/redevelopment projects, such as plan

refinement for the new YMCA building, residential growth management efforts, and future commercial expansion.

Phase III (Months 10-12): Making It Happen and Planning Ahead

The final months of the first year together will be focused on implementing the collaborative strategic plan(s) and preparing for the upcoming FY2027 budget:

• Kickstart Key Initiatives: Officially publicize and launch the developed

Council’s strategic goals, such as the five-year pavement management plan and the improvements planned for the wastewater system.

• Integrate Community Feedback: Incorporate the community feedback

gathered during earlier months into actionable plans for City Council review and approval.

• Oversee the Budget Process: Begin FY2027 budget preparation activities, ensuring strategic plan(s) alignment.
• Create a Culture of Continuous Quality Improvement: Foster a culture a continuous quality improvement within the organization by empowering staff, communicating consistently our organizational values, and utilizing evidence based and data-driven practices.

Anthony Schembri

First Year of Anthony Schembri as City Manager:

As I said in my presentation, my strength lies in organizational development — making an organization better at what it does. My office has always been an idea factory. At the same time, my nature is to be the “drum beater” for the organization I represent. Palm Coast is a city on the rise, but I already see some lost opportunities in how we are pursuing growth. My first year will be about turning those missed chances into achievements.

Given what Palm Coast has to offer, I believe we should share our attributes with the international community. During my five years serving at the United Nations, I learned the value of convening — my favorite word — and building partnerships that enrich everyone involved. Still, my first concern will be to prioritize the issues here at home and develop a tabletop plan for addressing them.

I will spend time in the community, listening to residents, learning what binds us together, and welcoming their suggestions. In my first year, I will conduct a full needs assessment, looking closely at our strengths and weaknesses, and present it to the council. Palm Coast currently has what I call a “wedding cake” structure — too many layers, prone to mission creep.

One critical gap is training. No one is in charge of it, and if you want to improve an organization, you start by improving its people. I have a long history in training and education, and I intend to bring that experience to Palm Coast. I will design a curriculum tailored to our city’s needs, with an emphasis on leadership and supervision. By raising the skills and enthusiasm of our employees, we will get more out of the resources we already have.

Drawing on my background as a County Executive, I will conduct an assessment of our budget, personnel, technology, training, equipment, and other services. In the past, I conducted Listening Tours that not only identified needs but also built better relations between government and the community. I expect the same here — and that process may lead to reorganization, all aimed at making Palm Coast better at what it does.

In one agency I led, I created the Office of Continuing Improvement (OCI). Employees were encouraged to submit suggestions, and when their ideas were adopted, they were rewarded. They had a hand in steering the “Ship of State,” which gave them pride and job satisfaction — the same reason they joined government in the first place.

I am a talent hunter. Each employee will complete a Skills Inventory so their abilities can be put to use. I look for practical ideas that work. I admire what works, what doesn’t, and what shows promise. For example, NASA spent four million dollars designing a pen that could write in zero gravity. The Russians gave their astronauts a pencil. I like that. You’ll see much of that approach in my first year — practical, effective, and without fanfare.

The current battle cry in government is change. But change should not be for its own sake — it must be meaningful and lasting. In my first year, Palm Coast will see changes that are both successful and widely accepted.

Palm Coast faces challenges, but I see them as steppingstones, not stumbling blocks. I don’t see problems; I see opportunities. And I welcome them. By the end of my first year, Palm Coast will be stronger, more efficient, and better trained. You will see the same results that led three governors, two mayors, a county commission, and a district attorney to entrust me with their organizations. They believed in me, and Palm Coast can too.

Having attended the FEMA Academy, I would ensure that our hurricane preparedness is developed on a tabletop exercise, including other agencies. Having updated harassment policies in other agencies, I would examine Palm Coast sexual harassment policies in the workplace.

Palm Coast is experiencing traffic challenges, as former chairman of the Westchester County traffic safety board. I would organise traffic efforts along the lines of education, enforcement, and engineering.

Finally, I would ensure that the policies enacted by the board of county legislators are successfully and fully adopted.

EXAMPLE: Citrus Chronicle-“Almost two dozen leaders in local business and industry sat down earlier this week to craft a list of actions that could help improve the local economy in Citrus County and set the stage for a quicker recovery when the greater economy begins to improve.The group was convened and hosted at what was billed as a local economic summit by Citrus County Administrator Anthony Schembri.”

Thomas Thomas:

Vision for Year One Palm Coast City Manager

Introduction

Honorable Mayor and Council, Palm Coast is at a turning point. With a 4.5% population increase in 2024, reaching 100,000 residents and projected to hit 110,362 by 2025, our city leads the Volusia-Flagler region. The $80 million in 2024-25 infrastructure funding and over 200 capital projects in 2024 provide a robust foundation. Challenges like aging roads, rising utility costs (projected $50 increase by 2027), and a tourism-driven economy (33% of jobs) require focused leadership. As your new City Manager, Thomas Thomas, I am committed to delivering measurable results in Year One, aligning with your Strategic Action Plan (SAP) and Imagine 2050 Comprehensive Plan, while building trust through collaboration and organizational assessment.

Guiding Principles

• Strategic Transparency: Use the SAP Dashboard and Palm Coast Connect for quarterly updates, building on your 2025 public outreach award for Imagine 2050.
• Fiscal Accountability: Optimize revenues (e.g., impact fees) to fund services sustainably, addressing utility rate pressures.
• Collaborative Leadership: Work with Council, staff, and regional partners like Flagler County Economic Development to drive solutions.

Year One Priorities

1.  Safe and Reliable Services

• Initiate road repair and swale maintenance to target a 20% reduction in flooding complaints within six months, leveraging $80 million for Matanzas Woods and Palm Coast Parkways, pending staff capacity assessment.
• Support ongoing canal dredging to protect water quality, aligning with 2024’s 200+

capital projects, subject to permitting.

• Improve service delivery to address the 41% quality 93% importance gap in utilities, with progress visible in six months.

2.  Sustainable Environment and Infrastructure

• Begin water/wastewater capacity planning to support 4-5% annual growth, pursuing grants to mitigate rate hikes, based on Utilities department capabilities.
• Explore solar energy pilots on City assets to reduce costs, aligned with Imagine 2050, pending budget and staff review.

3.  Strong and Resilient Economy

• Advance negotiations with two employers in healthcare, clean tech, or manufacturing by Q4, leveraging the U.S.’s second-largest Foreign Trade Zone, subject to Economic Development team capacity.
• Conduct housing and workforce assessments to address rising home prices ($140,000 increase in four years), supporting diverse housing options.
• Leverage my multi-million-dollar project experience for efficient execution, per Palm Coast Progress.

4.  Civic Engagement

• Enhance Palm Coast Connect for streamlined feedback and services, building on 2024 engagement successes.
• Publish SAP Dashboard updates to share progress and gather input, ensuring
• Attend community events to connect with residents, promoting our 125 miles of trails and 19 miles of beaches.

Implementation Roadmap

• First 90 Days: Conduct listening tours with Council, staff, and stakeholders to assess organizational strengths, weaknesses, and priorities, using 2024 Progress Report
• Q1 Q2: Present baselines (e.g., flooding complaints) and refined plans; pursue grants to address funding gaps; initiate road repairs and solar exploration.
• Q3: Launch citywide projects, share SAP updates, and report progress (e.g., service improvements).
• Q4: Deliver outcomes (e.g., reduced flooding complaints, employer negotiations, higher satisfaction) and plan Year Two with Comprehensive Plan adoption.

Closing Statement

Mayor and Council, I, Thomas Thomas, am ready to lead Palm Coast with dedication, deliver safer infrastructure, sustainable systems, economic progress, and robust engagement in Year One. My initial 90 days will clarify organizational capacity to ensure success. I welcome your input to refine this vision, building on our $80 million momentum for a thriving future.

Carl E. Geffken

First Year Vision for Palm Coast

As a seasoned senior executive with a track record of guiding municipalities through periods of challenge and growth, I am honored to present my vision for the first year as City Manager of Palm Coast, Florida. My approach is rooted in a simple but effective philosophy: listen, learn, and then lead. Palm Coast is a city of remarkable successes, known for its beautiful natural environment, extensive trail systems, and high quality of life. The primary challenge is managing its rapid growth to ensure these assets are enhanced, not diminished. My vision is to harness this growth, transforming it into a strategic advantage that secures a prosperous and sustainable future for all residents.

The First 90 Days: A Foundation of Listening and Learning

The initial three months will be dedicated to a comprehensive immersion into the fabric of Palm Coast. My goal is not to impose a pre-made agenda, but to understand the city’s unique opportunities and challenges from the ground up.

Internal Engagement: Understanding the Engine of the City

My first priority will be to meet with the people who make the city run: the dedicated employees of Palm Coast. I will schedule meetings with each department head and their teams, not in a conference room at City Hall, but in their own work environments, be it a fire station, a water treatment facility, or a parks and recreation office. This hands-on approach allows me to see their daily operations, understand their challenges firsthand, and learn what resources they need to excel. My experience in Fort Smith demonstrated that fostering interdepartmental cooperation is key to breaking down silos and improving efficiency. By understanding each department’s role and perspective, we can build a more cohesive and responsive municipal team. I will also focus on identifying future leaders within the organization, as I believe strongly in mentoring up-and-coming managers for succession planning and increased job satisfaction.

External Engagement: Hearing from the Heart of the City

Concurrently, I will launch a series of “City Manager Listening Sessions” held in various neighborhoods across Palm Coast. These will be open, town hall-style forums designed to hear directly from residents. What do they love about their city? What are their concerns about traffic, development, and public services? What is their vision for the future? This direct feedback is invaluable. In previous roles, I have successfully implemented citizen service centers to create a single, customer-facing point of contact. These listening sessions are a direct extension of that citizen-centric philosophy, ensuring that the government remains accessible and accountable to the people it serves.

Months Four to Nine: Strategic Alignment and Targeted Action

Armed with the knowledge gained from my initial listening tour, the next six months will focus on aligning the city’s operations with the community’s priorities and tackling key challenges head-on.

1.  Mastering Smart Growth and Infrastructure:

Palm Coast’s rapid growth is its defining challenge. My experience managing a contentious federal consent decree for a wastewater treatment plant, where I successfully reduced project costs by $300 million through active project management and goal setting, is directly applicable here. I will work with the Public Works, Utility, and Planning departments to conduct a thorough review of our infrastructure capacity—from roads and stormwater systems to water and sewer services. We will develop and begin implementing a forward-looking Capital Improvement Plan, similar to what I required of all major departments in Fort Smith, to ensure our infrastructure not only keeps pace with growth but anticipates future needs. This includes exploring innovative funding mechanisms, as I did in Fort Smith, by proposing the use of sales taxes for critical projects.

2.  Ensuring Fiscal Sustainability and Economic Vitality:

A growing city must have a strong and sustainable financial foundation. My career is marked by strengthening municipal finances. In Reading, I took a city heading toward bankruptcy and turned a projected $15 million deficit into a year-end surplus, leaving it with a $12 million fund balance. In Fort Smith, I increased the General Fund fund balance from $7 million to $45 million. I will apply this same fiscal discipline to Palm Coast, ensuring the annual operating budget is balanced without relying on reserves.

Simultaneously, we must focus on diversifying the local economy. I will work closely with the business community and regional economic development partners to attract and retain high-quality employers. My experience in Fort Smith involved collaborating with the Chamber of Commerce on economic development strategies using public-private partnerships and other incentives. We can leverage Palm Coast’s exceptional quality of life as a powerful tool to attract new businesses and create higher-wage jobs for residents.

The Final Quarter: Building Momentum and Institutionalizing Excellence The last three months of the first year will be focused on solidifying our progress and building a framework for long-term success.

We will institutionalize a culture of transparency and collaboration. I will establish annual budget workshops and strategic planning sessions for the City Council, a practice I instituted in Fort Smith that empowered the Board of Directors to set and implement clear, data-driven goals. This process ensures that the administration and the elected officials are in lockstep on the city’s priorities.

Furthermore, we will continue to enhance operational efficiency. This includes a review of our technology systems, drawing on my experience implementing a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to modernize city functions. We will also continue to foster public-private partnerships to expand services and amenities, such as the new and renovated parks my team delivered in Fort Smith.

My vision for the first year is to build a foundation of trust, transparency, and strategic action. By listening to our residents and staff, applying proven fiscal and project management principles, and fostering a collaborative spirit, we will effectively manage Palm Coast’s growth. We will preserve the unique character and natural beauty that make this city a wonderful place to live, while proactively building an even more resilient, vibrant, and prosperous community for the years to come.

Norm West

White Paper: My First Year Vision for Palm Coast: City Management and Leadership Built on Trust, Infrastructure, and Community

 

Executive Summary

 Palm Coast doesn’t need to choose between growth and preservation. We can protect our amazing way of life while expanding opportunity if we plan ahead, build infrastructure first, and communicate every decision openly. My vision is simple and straightforward; Palm Coast shouldn’t just grow in size, but it should grow in prominence. My first year as City Manager is about earning that confidence through action. If government, residents, and businesses are unified and work together, Palm Coast will remain one of Florida’s, and the nation’s, most desirable places to live for generations to come.

Background & First Year Vision – Palm Coast is a city with an amazing foundation and a promising future. Families move here for safety, nature, and quality of life. Longtime residents remain because they feel connected to something real; a community that values courtesy, pride, and connectedness. As we look forward, the Imagine Palm Coast plan makes one truth crystal clear; growth is inevitable, but how we grow is a choice. Our path forward must prioritize the balance of protecting property values, preserving our natural assets, and keeping Palm Coast affordable for the people who already live here.

In my first year as City Manager, I want Palm Coast to be known as a government that listens before it acts, and delivers results, without fanfare. When a drainage ditch is cleared or an intersection upgraded, residents should be able to say, “wow, that happened because the city heard us”. When a new amenity opens, it should feel like it was built for families, not ribbon-cuttings.

When businesses invest here, it should be because Palm Coast offers stability, consistency, and long-term discipline; not loopholes or giveaways.

Similar cities like Palm Bay, Port Orange, and Kissimmee have shown me that success isn’t achieved through unchecked development or excessive regulation; but through infrastructure-first planning, clear and recurrent communication, and fiscal restraint. Palm Coast now stands at the same crossroads. With foresight and trust, we can strengthen our future without sacrificing our character.

Leadership Approach – My leadership style is grounded in trust, discipline, and perspective;

values reinforced throughout my military career. That means eliminating waste and ensuring every dollar delivers visible value. It means staying focused on essentials like public safety, infrastructure reliability, and service delivery. It means offering residents predictability and no surprises in process, policy, or performance. I also believe in empowering staff closest to the problem to act quickly rather than escalating every issue upward. I believe leadership should be multiplied, not hoarded. As a result, Palm Coast must build future leaders, not rely on any single individual. These are not buzzwords; they are operational commitments. When residents call, they should receive answers not excuses. When we commit to a timeline, we should meet it.

First-Year Priorities

Listening and Building Trust – I will launch neighborhood listening sessions; real conversations, not speeches and expand tools that let residents track projects and report concerns with transparency. Internally, I will conduct recurring check-ins to ensure front- line employees have what they need to serve efficiently and effectively. Trust is earned through responsiveness.

2. Infrastructure-First Growth – Growth must never outpace My first-year focus will be on drainage, stormwater, road maintenance, utilities, and flood resilience ahead of new development demands. Growth should pay for itself without shifting burdens onto

longtime residents. Key open spaces and natural corridors will be preserved as buffers and identity markers.

3. Growing Opportunity Responsibly – We must prioritize high-value employers like

healthcare, logistics, clean industry, and professional services; all while streamlining permitting for local entrepreneurs. Similarly, workforce housing must be addressed

practically so teachers, nurses, first responders, and service workers can afford to live in the community they serve. Last, our recreation system such as trails, sports facilities, and parks will remain fundamental to Palm Coast’s active lifestyle identity.

4. Delivering Tangible Results – Every major initiative will carry a clear timeline, defined, and communicated expectations. Early wins will matter! Whether that means safer crosswalks, additional turn lanes, or targeted flood fixes. I will also launch internal

leadership development to build and sustain institutional strength that lasts beyond any one administration. Leading leaders, deliberate development, and mentorship is critical.

Lessons from Peer Cities – Palm Bay taught that preserving natural resources is not just environmental stewardship, it’s economic stability. Port Orange showed that traffic and mobility concerns are not luxuries; they are daily quality-of-life essentials. Last, Kissimmee reminded us that residents support bold projects when they are included early, not informed late. Palm Coast can adopt all three lessons: resilience, mobility, and engagement executed in that order.

Accountability Metrics – You deserve to see improvement. By the end of year one, progress will be measured in clear outcomes such as faster response times, higher resident satisfaction, reduced flooding complaints, accelerated resurfacing schedules, and increased retention of both employers and employees. Internally, we will measure efficiency gains, budget savings, and leadership promotions from within.