Fort Meade votes to hire a city manager who had a short, contentious tenure in Haines City
Fort Meade may finally have a permanent city manager soon.
The City Commission voted 4-1 during Tuesday night’s regular meeting to offer the position to Edward Walker Dean – to the disappointment of some residents, who wanted Interim City Manager Dustin Burke to remain in charge.
The vote came toward the end of a meeting that lasted nearly four hours. During a special meeting a week earlier, the City Commission interviewed two finalists — Dean, a former city manager in Haines City, and Shawn Gilman, a former city council member in Las Vegas.
As commissioners opened discussion of an agenda item labeled “City manager search,” Human Resources Director George McNerney informed them that Burke should also be considered as a candidate. The commission appointed Burke to the interim role in February, and the city charter only allows an interim city manager to serve for five months.
Fort Meade’s last permanent city manager, Jan Bagnall, resigned in August after 2? sometimes tumultuous years in the role. Commissioners appointed Assistant City Manager Maria Sutherland as the interim leader and began a search for a longterm replacement.
The City Commission — then with one vacancy and one member who lost a re-election bid — voted in December to offer the job to Pat Oman of Minnesota. But a revised commission with two new members rescinded the offer in January, citing Oman’s delay in relocating to Fort Meade.
Tommy King, director of the city’s water and wastewater department, agreed to a brief role as temporary city manager before the commission selected Burke on Feb. 20.
Burke, 43, had applied for the position after Bagnall’s resignation but had not made the list of eight candidates chosen by commissioners for consideration. He had questioned many of the city’s practices under Bagnall and had filed numerous public records requests with the city.
Burke had no experience in city government. He had served as an executive at a home lending company in St. Petersburg. During his four months in the interim role, Burke has addressed perceived problems with the city’s financial record-keeping and pledged an increase in transparency.
Burke has also fired Sutherland and the city’s top code enforcement officer. He hired Greg King, Commissioner Jaret Williams’ former campaign manager, to a clerical position and then reassigned him as chief of staff and public information officer, with a salary of about $90,000.
Williams motioned to offer the job to Burke, describing him as “very qualified.” The motion did not receive a second from any of the other commissioners — Mayor Petrina McCutchen, Vice Mayor Samuel Berrien, James “Possum” Schaill and James Watts.
“I don't understand why this is a difficult conversation and move,” Williams said. “But I want to voice that what Mr. Burke has done, the staff, has tremendously moved this city forward over the past three months.”
Williams’ statement drew murmurs of agreement audience members. The audience was sometimes unruly throughout the meeting, prompting McCutchen to bang her gavel and call for quiet more than once.
During public comments at the start of the meeting, three speakers urged commissioners to install Burke as a permanent city manager.
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Even before Williams’ motion, Watts and Schaill expressed concerns that appointing Burke would violate a state anti-nepotism law. Fort Meade’s fire chief, Matt Zahara, is Burke’s brother-in-law.
City Attorney Norman C. Powell had previously addressed that question, saying the law only applies to the hiring of a relative, not the supervision of one already on staff. His colleague, Shirlyon McWhorter, in attendance Tuesday night, reiterated that position.
A frustrated McCutchen sarcastically addressed Watts and Schaill: “OK, so now y’all have law degrees."
After Williams’ motion to hire Burke failed, Berrien made a motion to hire Dean, which quickly drew a second from Schaill.
Before the vote, Williams raised concerns about Dean’s work history. The Haines City Commission voted 4-1 to fire him in May 2022, only eight months after he was hired. Commissioners had discussed possibly dismissing Dean at five previous meetings.
Haines City Mayor Anne Huffman, who led the effort to oust Dean, had accused him of signing contracts without commission approval and excessive spending on his city credit card. Commissioners also questioned his actions in changing the terms of a development the city had approved.
At one point, Dean threatened to sue the city, claiming that he was a whistleblower facing retaliation for pointing out actions he considered to be violations of the city charter and state laws.
No records for such a lawsuit could be found.
“There is a serious concern that I have for hiring Mr. Dean, (and having) Mr. Burke removed,” Williams said. “Just from the information that we all can find online, and the amount of money that he cost (the city) where he was previously employed. There's a long list of similarities from the previous city manager (Bagnall) that shows up here, and I just don't understand why we would make a move to go back.
Williams, who joined the commission in January, added: “I’m dumbfounded by it, Madame Mayor, and so I just want that to go on record.”
Without further discussion, the commission voted 4-1 to offer the job to Dean. The outcome provoked an angry response, with one audience member saying, “Shame on you.”
McCutchen seemed upset by the audience reaction.
“You say, ‘shame on you,’” she said, her voice wavering. “I’m really — I didn’t expect that.”
McCutchen then addressed Burke.
“You've done a stellar job of bringing the city back, getting a lot of alignment, a lot of things that were misaligned. That's appreciated; that doesn't go without recognition. But, for me, I was looking for someone with more experience with a city just like ours. I believe Mr. Walker has that experience.”
McCutchen directed McNerney to contact Dean, who is 51, and begin negotiations on a contract. The commission did not discuss his potential salary.
Gary White can be reached at [email protected] or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Fort Meade Commission opts for former Haines City manager to fill role
