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Sarasota selects Sumter Local Government Consulting to lead city manager search; vote 4-1
Summary
After presentations and a detailed question-and-answer session with two executive search firms, the Sarasota City Commission voted 4-1 to hire Sumter Local Government Consulting to conduct the city manager recruitment. Commissioners debated fees, candidate sourcing, Sunshine Law transparency and guarantees during a special Sept. 9 meeting.
The Sarasota City Commission voted 4-1 on Sept. 9 to hire Sumter Local Government Consulting to run the city manager executive search, selecting the smaller firm over a larger national recruiter after hearing presentations from both.
The commission’s decision followed one hour-plus presentations, questions and public comment at a special meeting convened to interview search firms. Warren Habacher, president and founder of Sumter, told commissioners his firm would act as a single point of contact for the city and emphasized a highly customized process, a candidate portal for commissioner access, two-day semifinal interview recordings and a two-year placement guarantee. Sumter’s flat fee proposal to Sarasota was $18,000 plus preapproved advertising and travel expenses.
Why it matters: the city must replace its city manager and commissioners said they wanted a transparent process that balances wide candidate outreach, Florida Sunshine Law compliance and local knowledge.…
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