News

By Steve Plunkett

    The Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District’s interim executive director will stay on the job an additional three months.
    Arthur Koski, who is also the district’s longtime attorney, said in May he would step aside as interim director on Oct. 1 and recommended that Briann Harms, his assistant executive director, take over the top spot.
    But at the June 6 meeting, Harms said the timing was not right.
    “In light of the upcoming elections, I think it would be more appropriate for us to address this at our management meeting in January when we elect officers,” she said after thanking Koski for his recommendation and the district’s commissioners for supporting it.
    Two commission seats are being contested in the Aug. 30 election. The five commissioners customarily pick their chair, vice chair and secretary-treasurer at the first meeting of the calendar year.
    “As long as Art’s good with continuing with the Sunday phone calls [from commissioners] coming in, I think we can wait until then,” Harms said.
    No commissioner has suggested looking for other job candidates.
    “Briann knows how we feel about her,” District Chairman Robert Rollins said. Boca Raton city officials have been pressuring the district to hire a full-time director for months. Officials in December included a clause in a proposed contract between the two governments requiring the district to have a full-time director. City Council member Robert Weinroth made a similar demand in a March email to the district.
    Koski became the district’s interim director after Robert Langford retired in 2012. Koski also has a private law practice downtown.