Opinion
By Steve Nicklas, 12-12-23
Editor’s note: We heard on 12-15-23 from a reliable source that Ty Ross turned in his resignation. Haven’t heard what the Commission responded with.
It was surreal. Your neighbor hysterically texts you after watching an antics-filled Fernandina Beach city commission meeting, and asks: Wouldn’t Netflix be interested in this offbeat production?
It has the potential of a reality series, with real-life characters. Starring Ty Ross, the newly hired and quickly embattled city manager. With a catchy title and descriptions: “Hard Knocks/Fernandina. Comedic. Dramatic. Sad.”
No need to send in a Netflix film crew. The city meetings are recorded, not for evidence (though outside viewers might not believe them), but for the audience’s entertainment.
The characters are already cast, compliments of voters. The pilot for the series could be last week’s city commission meeting. It displayed theatrics and emotions and conflicts, the elements of an Emmy-worthy series.
The unscripted plot centered on a calamitous bicycle ride by Ross through his new town. It ended abruptly, in a one-bike, alcohol-influenced accident along Atlantic Avenue.
The day after the news broke about the incident, Ross profusely apologized in a lengthy letter to commissioners. He continued his apology-and-regrets tour at the city commission meeting.
“Life’s tough,” Ross said at the meeting. “I overdid it.” Ross said he is lonely and misses his wife and family.
“I’ll never let you down again,” Ross pledged to his bosses, the commissioners. He may not have a choice, as commissioners will meet soon to decide his fate.
From that point, the meeting continued downhill like a slalom skier. In a misery-loves-company episode, the city attorney praised Ross for his candor. “I’m really impressed,” attorney Tammi Bach said to him.
Bach didn’t stop there in an emotional outpouring. She told him to “find some good friends, fast,” in relating to what Ross is experiencing as a newcomer. It happened to her when she came here.
“I drank a lot,” Bach said. “I chose to drink at home, alone.” At this point, it resembled a self-help confession than a city commission meeting.
Bach said she felt that Ross had a “tough job.” If so, he is adequately compensated – with a $230,000 salary and bountiful benefits.
During the riveting meeting, valuable advice was imparted: self-help methods, coping strategies, overcoming adversity. Also on display was a motivational practice of turning lemons (something bad) into lemonade (something good).
On the night of the accident, a concerned citizen called 911 after seeing Ross and his bent-up bicycle on the side of the street. City police arrived, but the script took several unexpected turns.
On the troublesome body-camera footage, the 911 caller told police: “I thought he got hit.” It’s not clear if Ross struck the curb or a tree or just lost his balance. Either way, Ross appeared wobbly and incoherent when police questioned him.
The officer radioed to a supervisor, saying about the accident: “I didn’t know if you wanted to know – because of who this is.” He helped Ross into the police car, while instructing him: “I’m going to hold on to you so you don’t fall.”
The police then took Ross and his bicycle to his house. No one knew it happened until a month later, when an unidentified informant tipped off a reporter.
The incident is embarrassing for everyone. The police never administered a breathalyzer test, for one thing. And it appears Ross received at least some preferential treatment, as he just named the new police chief.
City officials have egg on their faces – the size of ostrich eggs. They used the same search firm to find Ross that produced two other city managers, who both failed. An appointed citizens-search group screened the applicants, but was ineffective.
Commissioners should not go down with Ross’s sinking ship, however. Ross has become a political liability for which there is no insurance.
If they decide to remove Ross, they should do it quickly. Appoint an interim manager again and resume a search on their own with the help of human resources – and make sure to look locally this time.
To add insult to (the bike) injury, several qualified local candidates had expressed interest in the city manager position. Hiring either of them would have saved significant money and time. However, the citizens-search group ignored them.
One of the candidates is well-known. The other is not.
Joe Gerrity, a former city manager and commissioner here, had offered to assist with the earlier search. He would have considered the full-time role, but refused to take part in a laborious process.
At the time, Gerrity was the interim city manager in Atlantic Beach. Gerrity was an outstanding city manager/commissioner here, but got pushed out by a misguided commission – that replaced him with Dale Martin.
Unlike the other city managers, Gerrity has an impressive business background. He owned numerous McDonald’s restaurants before semi-retiring. Clearly, he understands managing employees and running a finely tuned operation.
In addition, newcomer David Howe expressed interest. Howe has more financial than municipal experience, but his resume is impressive.
As a chief financial officer for Fidelity Investments, Howe oversaw the Japan region. Prior to Fidelity, Howe worked as a management consultant in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland and Israel.
He retired from Fidelity at an early age and bought an old farm in Vermont. A savvy entrepreneur, Howe founded a line of maple-syrup products and a successful distillery. He recently sold the profitable operation and moved here.
Howe gained municipal experience as an elected auditor for the town of Fairfield, Vermont, and later served on the school board there. With an MBA degree in finance from Cornell University, he is also well-educated.
Right now, city officials need to do some soul-searching. Do they want to continue in the path of a quirky series suited for Netflix, or a factual documentary on turning around a bloated, dysfunctional city government?
Let’s hope for the latter. The laughter stings — and we are not entertained.
Steve Nicklas is the managing partner of Nicklas Wealth Management in Fernandina Beach. He is also an award-winning columnist. His columns regularly appear in weekly newspapers in Northeast Florida and in Southeast Georgia, and on his website at www.SteveNicklasMarketplace.com. He has published a book, “All About Money,” of his favorite columns from the past 20 years. The book is available on Amazon. He has also done financial reports for area radio stations and for National Public Radio in Jacksonville. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 904-753-0236.
The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida.
