News
By Michael Hernandez, 9-5-24
FERNANDINA BEACH—The City Commission has selected Sarah Campbell, former town manager of the Town of Orange Park—a suburb of Jacksonville to become the new City Manager during a Sept. 5 special meeting after a 3-2 vote. A negotiated employment agreement will be brought for approval at the Fernandina Beach Sept. 17 regular City Commission meeting.
Campbell, has been the Town Manager of the Town of Orange Park (Clay County) from 2017—which serves as the chief administrative officer responsible for six departments: Police, Fire, Public Works (including water, sewer and stormwater utilities), Economic & Community Development, Finance and Administration. In her capacity as Town Manager, Campbell was the chief negotiator in collective bargaining with three public unions. Prior to this role, Campbell was assistant town manager and town clerk from 2008-2017 and was briefly interim town manager from 2010-2011.
The population of the Town of Orange Park is just under 10,000 and the Town employs 115 people (100 are full-time) and has a General Fund Budget of $15 million and a Total Budget of $24 million. Her departing salary from Orange Park was $150,118 which includes vehicle and phone allowances.
Prior to her work in city government, Campbell served as a legal assistant from 2005-2008 for four attorneys working in the areas of municipal law, land use, corporate and family law.
“The City of Fernandina Beach is a special place!” said Campbell. “I first visited the Shrimp Festival in 2002, shortly after moving to Florida. Because it is only an hour away, I have had the pleasure of visiting many times over the years—camping at Fort Clinch and hearing the shrimp boats leave in the morning, participating in half marathons, walking on Egan’s Creek Greenway, watching an incredible drone display at Dickens on Centre, caching some sun at North Beach, breakfast at Ms. Carolyn’s, or browsing at the Farmers Market.”
The six adjectives that Campbell used to describe herself: “patient, calm, smart, organized, well-spoken, and calm.”
In Campbell’s initial letter of application submitted on July 17, 2024, she said “in the spirit of transparency” that her husband was employed by the U.S. House of Representatives as Congressman Bean’s District Director. Mayor Bean is the Congressman’s son.
The search for new Fernandina Beach City Manager was done by the executive recruiting firm Colin Baenziger & Associates. The Sept. 5 selection process included one-on-one interviews by each City Commissioner with each of the four City Manager finalists (40 minutes each; from 9-12:30 p.m.) which included:
- Sarah Campbell (Town Manager of Orange Park, Florida; population just under 10,000; with 115 employees, and General Fund Budget of $15 million and Total Budget of $24 million);
- Tandra Davis (Town Manager from the Town of Dundee, Florida; with a population of 6,700 residents and a General Fund budget of $6 million and a total budget of approximately $14 million);
- Michael Mahaney (Senior City Manager of North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; with a population of 20,000, 620 employees, and budget of $208 million); and
- William “Lee” Smith, III (County Manager of Chatham County in Savannah, Georgia; with population of 300,000; 2,250 plus employees; and a $998 million budget).
Note: One candidate withdrew from City Manager consideration:
- Sonia Alves-Viveiros (City Manager/Business Administrator from the Township of Edison, New Jersey—a city of 107,000 residents with approximately 1,000 employees);
The public was invited to be present for the city manager finalist interviews in the afternoon from 1-3:45 p.m. (30 minutes were given to each candidate)
City Commissioner comments before selection of the City Manager:
- James Antun: “Mr. Smith seems to have the most congruent experience. He has a level of passion to be here that exceeds the others. He is clearly my first choice.”
- Darron Ayscue: “There are huge differences in the State of Florida than in Carolina or Georgia. We have collective bargaining here. Ms. Campbell is a star.”
- Vice Mayor David Sturges: “Mrs. Campbell is a super star. She is highly qualified and the best candidate for the job and my number one choice.”
- Ronald “Chip” Ross: “Mr. Smith has a vast amount of experience. He is a good fit and my choice.”
- Mayor Bradley Bean: “Sarah Campbell comes endorsed by a whole lot of people. Orange Park has got it together. She is a stellar candidate that can do some good work.”
Sarah Campbell was selected as the City Manager finalist in a 3-2 vote with staff directed to begin negotiating an employment agreement. The City Commissioners then moved in a 4-1 vote to pick a second candidate, William “Lee” Smith, III if the city could not come into contract agreement with Sarah Campbell.
During public comments made concerning the City Manager selection:
- Ronnie B. (1:39:36-1:43:09): “(the non-Florida candidates) have no experience working with public employee unions. The only ones familiar with (Florida) Senate Bill 64 concerning public waste water that will cost a lot of money are the two Florida candidates to get Fernandina Beach where it needs to be according to the law.
- Sandy Kerry. (1:43:30-1:46:09): “The number one question that needs to be asked is that the city has an outside legal opinion that ethanol is a manufactured chemical prohibited by the land development code and if any of these candidates are chosen as city manager and becomes a decision maker, on issuing a permit on bioethanol will they stand by the outside legal opinion and deny the building permits for the bioethanol project, this is the number one concern among residents on the whole island…Because of the inherit problem between Ms. Campbell and the Bean family, I would hope she would remove herself or distance herself from any decision on the bioethanol plant if she were chosen.”
- Sheila Cocchi. (1:46:30-1:47:30): “It would be helpful for you to have discussions so we understand your thinking so we can ask questions. This is an important decision, I would just like to remind people that only 40 percent of this body could be here after the next election and I think this body should have waited, but I hope you make the right decision.”
- Joyce T. (1:47:45-1:48:20): “I have obvious concerns about conflict of interest with Sarah Campbell and bioethanol but I also have concerns that she has no oceanwater front experience and we have large structures of dunes and flooding issues, no historic district experience, and she has no experience with riverfront flooding that is the reverse with Lee Smith who has experience in all three of those areas.”
Agenda (527 pages):
https://fernandinabeachfl.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4211/files/agenda/8026
Watch (2 hours 15 minutes):
https://fernandinabeachfl.new.swagit.com/videos/314261
RYAM Bioethanol Plant
There was some controversy on city handling of the proposed bioethanol plant. We have asked the author of this article to expound on this. Also see Sandy Kerry opinion article:
Local Activist Opines on Fernandina Commission Machinations Surrounding Proposed Bioethanol Plant
Update: one budget special workshop of 37 minutes was on Sept 3. It was a 1st hearing. The 2nd hearing will be Sept 17 and the official budget officially adopted two weeks later.
Michael Hernandez, from California is co-founder of the Citizens Journal—Ventura County’s online news service. He is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor. Mr. Hernandez can be contacted at [email protected] and is editor of the weekly “Stories Speak Volumes” and “Nov. 5 Election Day Countdown.”
