bob vitas - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-29T10:32:02Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/bob+vitasSouth Palm Beach: New manager familiar with townhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/south-palm-beach-new-manager-familiar-with-town2018-01-03T19:06:22.000Z2018-01-03T19:06:22.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Dan Moffett</strong></p>
<p>After two failed attempts at hiring a town manager they could work with, South Palm Beach council members decided to bring onboard a known quantity from right next door.<br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960766661,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960766661,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" width="97" alt="7960766661?profile=original" /></a>With a unanimous vote of approval Dec. 19, the council forged a five-year contract with longtime Atlantis City Manager Mo Thornton to become the town’s fourth administrative leader in the last three years.<br /> “I’m excited, delighted, I can’t wait to get to know everybody, to come, do good work and have fun,” Thornton told the council.<br /> She said Mayor Bonnie Fischer and Vice Mayor Robert Gottlieb approached her several years ago about coming to work for the town, but the timing wasn’t right. Now it is.<br /> “I decided recently that a life change was in order,” she said.<br /> Thornton has been the manager of Atlantis for 21 years and built working relationships with Fischer and Gottlieb in the Palm Beach County League of Cities. When South Palm Beach needed advice on hiring an auditing firm in early 2017, the town turned to Thornton, who began as accountant and finance director in Atlantis.<br /> “We can all look forward to a town manager who understands that working with the Town Council is what’s ultimately best for the town,” said Councilwoman Elvadianne Culbertson.<br /> Thornton replaces Bob Vitas, the former Key West manager whom the council abruptly fired in October after months of disputes over his salary and evaluation requirements. Three years ago, the council hired Jim Pascale of Princeton, N.J., as manager, then let him go six months later after clashes over projects and policy.<br /> Thornton’s contract, which begins Jan. 22, calls for an annual salary of $105,000 that includes full insurance coverage for herself and her dependent. She is subject to a six-month probationary period and would receive 20 weeks of severance should the town fire her without cause. There are no guaranteed raises in the contract.<br />Thornton is taking a significant pay cut from the $121,500 she was earning in Atlantis.<br />“This move is not about money for me,” she said. “South Palm Beach is a wonderful little jewel. I love providing service to a small community.”<br /> The council chose Thornton over two other finalists. Mike Hein, the former manager of Tucson, Ariz., and Longboat Key, essentially took himself out of the running with a $120,000 salary request, more than the town was willing to pay. Council members said Teresa Lamar-Sarno, an assistant city manager and certified planner in Stuart, didn’t have enough experience to fit the town’s needs.<br /> Thornton arrives in South Palm Beach with a full agenda waiting. The town has an ambitious and controversial beach stabilization project planned with the county and must decide how to renovate or repair its aging Town Hall.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Election filings in</strong></span> <br /> The morning of Dec. 19 was busy for Town Clerk Maylee De Jesus as a flurry of election filings came into her office as the qualification period ended.<br /> In all, six candidates qualified for the March ballot for three open seats on the council. Incumbents Gottlieb and Stella Gaddy Jordan are running for another term. Challengers include Kevin and Mary Alessandra Hall, a married couple, Raymond Lee McMillan and Chester “Bill” LeRoy.<br /> Two of the open seats are for full two-year terms and the other — held by Lucille Flagello, who was appointed last fall — is for one year. Town attorney Glen Torcivia said the two highest vote-getters will win the two full-term seats and the candidate who finishes third will claim the partial seat.</p></div>South Palm Beach: Council fires town manager without cause or noticehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/south-palm-beach-council-fires-town-manager-without-cause-or-noti2017-11-01T19:22:06.000Z2017-11-01T19:22:06.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p><strong>By Dan Moffett</strong><br /><br /> South Palm Beach Town Manager Bob Vitas returned from a vacation in Europe thinking he would resolve the last details of his new contract at the Oct. 24 council meeting.<br />Instead it turned out to be his last council meeting.<br /><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960756495,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960756495,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" width="100" alt="7960756495?profile=original" /></a>In a swift and surprising move, the Town Council unanimously voted to fire Vitas without explanation or stated cause. The vote for a resolution of “no confidence” was 4-0, with Councilwoman Lucille Flagello absent.<br /> The council gave Vitas 15 minutes to clean out his desk, and he left the building without comment, escorted by Police Chief Carl Webb.<br />“What just happened?” a resident in the audience asked.<br />“He was the best town manager we’ve ever had,” said one longtime town employee.<br /> Another employee left the room in tears. A police officer shook his head and muttered a vulgarity. Vitas recently negotiated a new contract for the department that won glowing reviews from officers — and for that matter, council members.<br /> “It’s been very difficult. We will move forward,” Mayor Bonnie Fischer said. “Bob did a lot of fine things for our town. But we decided to move on, and we wish him well. This is business. It’s nothing personal.”<br /> Vitas said later that he thought he had the council’s support until the day before the meeting, when he called Fischer and detected a change in tone. Then he received an email from Councilwoman Stella Gaddy Jordan that said she intended to introduce the no-confidence motion.<br /> “That came out of the blue,” Vitas said. “There are no grounds, no basis for this.”<br />Jordan declined to comment on the record but said she has received congratulations from residents for “doing what needed to be done.”<br /> Vitas conceded that relations with the council, Jordan in particular, have grown more contentious during the past year. Hired in October 2015, the former Key West manager earned enthusiastic praise from the council during his first year in South Palm Beach before things began to sour in 2017.<br /> Vitas said most of the problems have been about money. During budget talks, he told the council he believed he was entitled to consideration for a merit raise, auto allowance and cost-of-living adjustment to his $103,000-a-year salary. Led by Jordan’s opposition, the council balked and ignored his requests.<br /> Vitas, 60, said he believes the council violated the town charter and his contract by not giving him a performance evaluation, despite his repeated requests for one.<br /> “There’s no doubt they’re in violation,” Vitas said.<br /> In recent weeks, the council’s complaints fell on smaller issues. Councilwoman Elvadianne Culbertson criticized Vitas for preventing her from making editorial changes to a story in the town’s newsletter.<br /> Interim Town Attorney Glen Torcivia said the contract Vitas signed two years ago allows for no severance pay and no allowance for termination without notice. He leaves with nothing.<br /> “I believe that my efforts over the past two years have resulted in a local government that today is fiscally responsible, transparent, accountable and efficient in delivery of our services to the public,” Vitas said in a written statement to the town, prepared before the meeting — a statement that also said, “The Town Council has been supportive and complimentary of my efforts.”<br /> Fischer said the town will begin the search immediately for a new manager. Until it finds one, Clerk Maylee De Jesus and Webb will oversee the town’s day-to-day business. It will be the third search in the past three years.<br /> In late 2014, the town hired Jim Pascale of Princeton, N.J., as manager. Six months later he resigned after disputes with the council. The town then went five months without an administrator until hiring Vitas.<br /> In September, the council accepted the resignation of Town Attorney Brad Biggs, who had held the job for 11 years. Biggs was forced out of the position after months of testy relations with the council, including several public clashes with Jordan. <br />Also, Town Accountant Beatrice Galeano resigned late last year after 14 years of service. Co-workers said problems dealing with the council contributed to her exit.Ú</p></div>South Palm Beach: SPB fires Town Manager Vitashttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/south-palm-beach-spb-fires-town-manager-vitas2017-10-25T13:10:08.000Z2017-10-25T13:10:08.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p class="Body"><strong>By Dan Moffett</strong></p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body"> South Palm Beach Town Manager Bob Vitas returned from a vacation in Europe thinking he would resolve the last details of his new contract at the Oct. 24 council meeting.</p>
<p class="Body"> Instead it turned out to be his last council meeting.</p>
<p class="Body"> In a swift and surprising move, the Town Council unanimously voted to fire Vitas without explanation or stated cause. The vote for a resolution of “no confidence” was 4-0, with Councilwoman Lucille Flagello absent.</p>
<p class="Body"> The council gave Vitas 15 minutes to clean out his desk, and he left the building without comment, escorted by Police Chief Carl Webb.</p>
<p class="Body"> “What just happened?” a resident in the audience asked.</p>
<p class="Body"> “He was the best town manager we’ve ever had,” said one longtime town employee.</p>
<p class="Body"> Another employee left the room in tears. A police officer shook his head and muttered a vulgarity. Vitas recently negotiated a new contract for the department that won glowing reviews from officers — and for that matter, council members.</p>
<p class="Body"> “It’s been very difficult. We will move forward,” Mayor Bonnie Fischer said. “Bob did a lot of fine things for our town. But we decided to move on, and we wish him well. This is business. It’s nothing personal.”</p>
<p class="Body"> Vitas said he thought he had the council’s support until the day before the meeting when he called Fischer and detected a change in tone. Then he received an email from Councilwoman Stella Gaddy Jordan that said she intended to introduce the no-confidence motion.</p>
<p class="Body"> “That came out of the blue,” he said. “There are no grounds, no basis for this.”</p>
<p class="Body"> But Vitas conceded that relations with the council, Jordan in particular, have grown more contentious during the last year. Hired in October 2015, the former Key West manager earned enthusiastic praise from the council during his first year in South Palm Beach before things began to sour in 2017.</p>
<p class="Body"> Vitas said most of problems have been about money. During budget talks, he told the council he believed he was entitled to consideration for a merit raise and cost of living adjustment to his $103,000-a-year salary. Led by Jordan’s opposition, the council balked and ignored his requests.</p>
<p class="Body"> Vitas, 60, said he believes the council violated the town charter and his contract by not giving him a performance evaluation, despite his repeated requests for one.</p>
<p class="Body"> “There’s no doubt they’re in violation,” Vitas said.</p>
<p class="Body"> In recent weeks, the council’s complaints fell on smaller issues. Councilwoman Elvadianne Culbertson criticized Vitas for preventing her from making editorial changes to a story in the town’s newsletter.</p>
<p class="Body"> Town attorney Glen Torcivia said the contract Vitas signed two years ago allows for no severance pay and no allowance for termination without notice. He leaves with nothing.</p>
<p class="Body"> “I believe that my efforts over the past two years have resulted in a local government that today is fiscally responsible, transparent, accountable and efficient in delivery of our services to the public,” Vitas said in a written statement to the town, prepared before the meeting — a statement that also said, “The Town Council has been supportive and complimentary of my efforts…”</p>
<p class="Body"> Fischer said the town will begin the search immediately for a new manager. It will be the third search in the last three years.</p>
<p class="Body"> In late 2014, the town hired Jim Pascale of Princeton, N.J., to fill the manager’s job. Six months later he resigned after disputes with the council. The town went five months without an administrative executive until Vitas was hired.</p>
<p class="Body"> In September, the council accepted the resignation of Town Attorney Brad Biggs, who had held the job for 11 years. Biggs was forced out of the position after months of testy relations with the council, including several public clashes with Jordan.</p></div>South Palm Beach: Town names Bob Vitas new managerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/south-palm-beach-town-names-bob-vitas-new-manager2015-11-04T17:55:01.000Z2015-11-04T17:55:01.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p><strong>By Dan Moffett</strong><br /> <br /> Bob Vitas was the first candidate South Palm Beach council members interviewed in October for their vacant town manager’s job, and he wasted no time convincing them he was right choice.<br /> “He came in and knocked our socks off right from the start,” said Mayor Bonnie Fischer. “He was so clear and to the point about what he wanted to do. To me it was obvious he was what we were looking for.”<br /> Councilwoman Stella Gaddy Jordan said Vitas impressed her with his experience dealing with beach issues from his time as Key West’s city manager.<br /><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960606696,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960606696,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="100" alt="7960606696?profile=original" /></a> “The beaches are an extremely important issue for us,” Jordan said, “and he has what it takes to lead us through some of the work that we’re going to have to do on that.”<br /> On Oct. 27, the Town Council gave unanimous approval to the $103,000-a-year contract that makes Vitas the new manager and ends a five-month period during which the town has struggled to carry on without one. In June, Jim Pascale was forced to resign as town manager after only six months on the job, when disagreements with the council reached a tipping point.<br /> Town Attorney Brad Biggs, who negotiated the contract with Vitas, said it does not include a provision for severance pay if he leaves the position for any reason during the first six months.<br /> “We’ll just let bygones be bygones and go our separate ways,” said Biggs, who believes Vitas is planning for an extended stay in South Palm Beach. “He sees this as a long-term move — 10 to 12 years. Honestly, he’s excited to come to this town.”<br /> Vitas, 58, was city manager in Key West from 2012 to 2014, until disputes with the city attorney and City Commission over hiring practices and other matters forced him out of office. Fischer dismissed the breakdown as “just politics” and said residents should keep an open mind to help the town move forward.<br /> “Let’s get to a new era here,” she said.<br /> Before serving in Key West, Vitas was the administrator of Lake Zurich, with a population of about 20,000 in northeastern Illinois, from 2007 to 2011. Vitas told council members he believed his role was to be the face of government in South Palm Beach.<br /> “I see myself as a front man, and I understand that it starts with the town manager and his employees and then needs to trickle down,” he said of connecting with residents. “Public relations is critical.”<br /> Vitas says he wants a “seamless beginning” in the town and will prepare a 90-day plan of action for the council to consider. Fischer said she was impressed by Vitas’ connections in Tallahassee. He told the council his biannual trips to the capital “were worth their weight in gold” for obtaining funding from the state.<br /> The council interviewed four other candidates: Mark Kutney, former Loxahatchee Groves manager; Sarah Hannah-Spurlock, Key West’s assistant city manager; and two former Delray Beach city managers, Louie Chapman and David Harden.<br /> In other business: The qualifying period for the March 15 municipal election will run from noon Dec. 1 to noon Dec. 15, according to Town Clerk Yudy Alvarez.</p></div>