By Joe Capozzi
The election of Carolyn Cassidy as the town’s newest commissioner is just one of several key Ocean Ridge leadership changes in the works.
After Cassidy is sworn in on April 3, the Town Commission will still have three top positions at Town Hall to fill this year.
Lt. Scott McClure has been named acting police chief while the town looks for a replacement for Richard Jones, who resigned March 31 to start as police chief in the nearby town of Gulf Stream.
Building official Durrani Guy, who resigned March 13, is being temporarily replaced by consultants from C.A.P. Government Inc., a private firm that offers building department services, while the town searches for a full-time replacement.
Meanwhile, the town is conducting its third search in less than a year for a new town manager after a divided commission voted Feb. 27 against giving interim manager Lynne Ladner a contract for the full-time job.
The vote, which overturned a decision in January to hire Ladner full-time, was 3-2 with commissioners Geoff Pugh and Steve Coz on the losing end. Cassidy, who was elected March 14 and is about to start serving her first term, supported Ladner, raising the possibility that the new commission may consider offering Ladner a contract.
The town manager is likely to be the first of the three vacancies to be filled, since the manager hires the police chief and building official.
For now, the time line for the town manager search, announced at the March 6 commission meeting, has the commission selecting finalists on May 1 and interviewing those finalists, and possibly voting on a new hire, on May 9.
Vice Mayor Kristine de Haseth said she wants the finalists and their résumés to be put on the Town Hall website.
The town is paying the recruiting firm Colin Baenziger and Associates to find manager candidates. The firm in November agreed to a $29,500 contract with the town for its search. That contract is still in place with no additional cost to the town for the latest search. McClure, who joined the Ocean Ridge Police Department seven years ago after 25 years with the town of Palm Beach’s department, said he is a candidate for the full-time job.
“I care about the people who work here,’’ said McClure, a lieutenant since 2018. “I want to try to make it a good place. If we can get the morale like it used to be, that extends to the community.’’
C.A.P. Government, referred to as CapGov, has had building official consultants at Town Hall since March 8 to get familiar with the town’s systems and processes, Ladner said. CapGov will invoice the town for the services. The town does not directly pay CapGov employees.
Ladner, who agreed March 6 to stay on as interim town manager for another 90 days, said CapGov’s main point of contact as the town’s building inspector is Shane Kittendorf. She said the town started advertising for a full-time building official in mid-March. Guy did not offer a reason for leaving but told commissioners March 6 that he had “mixed feelings” about it. “I have had a lot of great experience overall in Ocean Ridge.’’
Mayor Susan Hurlburt, who was not reelected on March 14 and will leave office in April, offered praise for Guy at the March 6 commission meeting:
“You worked your hardest to bring much-needed order and enforcement to our building department, worked diligently with our town planner, Planning and Zoning Board and town staff to improve our process, which is what gives Ocean Ridge the small-town charm that the residents appreciate.’’
• The town is accepting applications for three vacancies on the Planning and Zoning Board, each for a three-year term, and two vacancies on the Board of Adjustment, each a three-year term, plus one vacancy for a one-year term. A letter of interest and résumé should be given to Town Clerk Kelly Avery by the end of business April 20. Commissioners have asked candidates to attend their May 1 meeting, when the appointments will be made.
Comments