Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Big vacancy demands thorough search
Greg Chavarria made the only sensible decision — in more ways than one.
After nearly two years as Fort Lauderdale city manager, Chavarria abruptly announced his resignation on the night of April 2 as a meeting was ending.
It wasn’t a total surprise. He had earlier individually told some city commissioners that he would step down to devote his full attention to a seriously ill family member. (He will stay on for 60 days during a transition.)
And yet, it was a surprisingly short tenure for such a young administrator (41) leading such a large and dynamic Florida city.
Big city, big challenges
But it’s a demanding and high-pressure job and it comes with a lot of political turmoil and very challenging surprises, such as the city’s historic flooding that forced the permanent relocation of city workers from a flood-ravaged City Hall a year ago.
For Chavarria, the handwriting was on the wall since January, when three of his five bosses showed their unhappiness with him by denying him a routine 3% cost-ofliving raise.
It was an embarrassing vote of no confidence, pure and simple, from commissioners Warren Sturman, Pamela Beasley-Pittman and John Herbst.
Sturman led the opposition to a raise, but did not call for Chavarria’s firing after about 20 community activists and a police union leader all highly praised Chavarria’s performance and affection for the city.
It’s an election year
He won praise for a hands-on approach and being accessible during crisis moments, but no manager can survive for long without the support of a board majority.
Not only that, but this is an unpredictable election year, and Mayor Dean Trantalis and all four commissioners will seek re-election in November. With the commission very clearly divided 3-2, the shift of just one seat could again alter the city’s political dynamics.
Chavarria’s brief, volatile career as chief administrator of Broward’s largest city provides obvious warning signs for his successor. Serious candidates should closely analyze the political fault lines on the next commission, for starters.
If all five incumbents win new terms, this will remain treacherous political terrain, and no manager in his or her right mind would take the job until the dust settles in November.
Trantalis said the city should cast a net across Florida first “and see where that leads us.” He said there is “plenty of talent” in South Florida and beyond and that he’s already fielding calls from people interested in a job that pays $291,000 a year.
No ‘on-the-job training’
The last two managers, Chavarria and his predecessor, Chris Lagerbloom, were both promoted from within. Herbst, who was the city’s auditor for 16 years, said both hiring decisions proved to be a mistake.
Herbst lost all confidence in Chavarria after the 2022 election, when Herbst’s victory was challenged by opponents and Chavarria did not immediately call for a meeting to resolve what proved to be a frivolous complaint.
Another very sore spot with Herbst and Sturman was Chavarria’s decision to co-sign a letter from the mayor to Broward County last October, urging the county to support the mayor’s preference for a tunnel over a bridge for a commuter rail system.
Both commissioners said the letter’s contents had never been discussed at a public meeting and they felt Chavarria was doing solely the mayor’s bidding when he has five bosses.
The right step forward
Herbst will insist that a broad national search for the next manager begin right away, with interviews with finalists after the November election. He favors creating a panel of residents from all backgrounds to help vet candidates.
A national search, with a recruiting firm actively seeking out top-tier candidates, is the right step for this large, diverse city with a high national profile.
“No more on-the-job training,” Herbst told the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, a reference to the lack of big-city experience by Chavarria, a technology expert.
If it turns out that the best candidate for the job is right here in South Florida, that person will be even stronger for having outshined all competitors in such a broad search.
Sturman favors an “open-ended” national search. Vice Mayor Steven Glassman said he likely will support a national search, and agreed that no hiring decision should be made until after November. (Beasley-Pittman could not be reached.)
This is one issue where the city needs to quickly reach a broad consensus. Officials plan to discuss it at their next meeting Tuesday, April 16.
It still troubles Glassman that when Fort Lauderdale fired its city attorney, no one — not one lawyer — initially applied for the job, a clear signal that the perception of political instability was driving away highly qualified job-seekers.
In Glassman’s view, Chavarria was treated poorly by three of his colleagues.
“They wore him down,” Glassman said. “It’s a little bit difficult trying to work with a sword over your head.”
Fort Lauderdale’s next city manager should stick around much longer than two years. But finding the right person is the challenging part.
The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Opinion Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writer Martin Dyckman and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Editorials are the opinion of the Board and written by one of its members or a designee. To contact us, email at letters@sunsentinel.com.