Venice council nominates Assistant City Manager James Clinch as city manager; mayor authorized to negotiate contract

The City of Venice on Monday completed final interviews for city manager candidates and unanimously nominated Assistant City Manager James Clinch, Mayor Pechota said, then asked council to authorize the mayor to negotiate a contract on the council’s behalf.

The nomination came after a public three‑day interview process that included six finalists. Mayor Pechota said he would deliberate with colleagues before announcing his nomination and then returned to the dais to name Clinch. “My nomination is for James Clinch,” Pechota said during the meeting’s deliberation.

The council moved quickly to approve the mayor’s nomination. Councilmember Sue Frank moved to nominate Clinch and give the mayor authority to negotiate the city manager contract; the motion was seconded by Councilmember Jim Engelke and passed by a 6‑0 vote. The roll call and earlier remarks show Councilmember Howard was excused earlier in the meeting and did not vote.

Why it matters: The city’s recruitment brought six finalists to Venice for public interviews and a community meet‑and‑greet attended by roughly 70 residents. Clinch, an internal candidate who introduced himself as “your current assistant city manager,” told the council he has worked for the city for 13½ years across multiple departments and emphasized continuity, staff relationships and trust building if elevated to city manager. Other finalists included candidates with experience running other Florida municipalities and candidates with military and federal leadership backgrounds; the council’s interviews focused on budgeting, staff and union relations, coastal resilience and community engagement.

What council members said: In deliberations, several council members praised the quality of all six finalists and the process the city used to recruit them. Councilmember Frank said the multi‑day public process reinforced confidence that the city has qualified internal and external candidates. Councilmember Engelke said he was especially focused on energy and leadership when comparing finalists. Mayor Pechota thanked the outgoing City Manager Ed LaValle for his leadership and noted that multiple finalists complimented the city’s management and staff during interviews.

Candidates and highlights: Candidates who presented to the council included Sonia Alves Viveiros, who emphasized citizen engagement and emergency preparedness; Andrew Butterfield, who described experience stabilizing municipalities and working across levels of government; William Lawrence, a municipal manager who said mentoring staff and common‑sense administration are priorities; a candidate who described naval base command and large installation management experience (discussing Pearl Harbor and Key West); and Gus Zambrano, an assistant city manager with experience in large capital programs and resilience grants in South Florida. Each candidate had 30 minutes for an interview, including a five‑minute opening and time for council questions.

Votes at a glance: The council voted to appoint James Clinch as city manager and authorized the mayor to negotiate a contract on behalf of the council. Motion: “Nominate James Clinch to be appointed city manager and the mayor be given the authority to negotiate the city manager contract.” Mover: Councilmember Sue Frank. Second: Councilmember Jim Engelke. Vote: 6 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain (Councilmember Howard excused/absent).

Next steps and implementation: With the council’s unanimous vote to accept the mayor’s nomination, Mayor Pechota was authorized to begin contract negotiations. Councilmembers asked that negotiations consider the full package of terms rather than only base compensation. The council did not finalize an executed employment contract during the meeting; any final contract will come back through the negotiation and, if required by local rules, be presented to the council for approval.

The meeting concluded with the mayor’s request that the council keep deliberations concise and refrain from outside discussions of interviews; the council adjourned after the vote.