By Mary Hladky
Assistant City Manager Chrissy Gibson is now one of Boca Raton’s two deputy managers.
And the city’s longtime financial services manager, Linda Davidson, will retire on Aug. 31 after 41 years with the city.
The city has hired Jim Zervis, chief administrative officer for Kern County, California, to succeed Davidson, beginning in late March.
Gibson, a Boca Raton native and Florida Atlantic University graduate, joined the city in 2010 as the community relations manager for the Mizner Park Amphitheater. In 2015 she launched the city’s Communications and Marketing Division. She was promoted to assistant city manager in 2021.
Gibson also received a master’s degree in public administration at Nova Southeastern University last year.
“Given her demonstrated history of effective leadership and strategic insight, I am confident that she will excel in this new capacity and continue to drive positive change within our city,” said City Manager George Brown.
Until Davidson retires, she will join the city manager’s office and will work with Zervis during the transition.
Davidson joined the city in 1983 as an accountant. She has since served as Office of Management and Budget director, deputy director of financial services and became financial services director in 2010.
Davidson is a certified public accountant, certified public finance officer and certified government finance officer.
“We express our deepest gratitude to Linda for her tireless efforts, commitment and the positive impact she has had on the financial well-being of our city, as well as her love for Boca Raton,” Brown said.
Zervis told the Bakersfield Californian newspaper that he was contacted by a job recruiter late last year and found the Boca Raton position interesting. He said that he has family in Jupiter.
Davidson’s retirement marks another departure of top city administrators, starting with Deputy City Manager Mike Woika in 2022. City Manager Leif Ahnell retired on Dec. 31 and was replaced by Brown, his longtime deputy. City Attorney Diana Grub Frieser is in the city’s retirement program and will have to retire in about a year.
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