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Crestview council declines to terminate city clerk; directs individual HR meetings to craft measurable PIP
Summary
After heated debate over a 90-day performance-improvement plan, Crestview council voted down a motion to terminate the city clerk and unanimously directed each council member to meet with HR to develop a more specific, measurable PIP.
A motion to end the employment of City Clerk Mary Anne failed at the Crestview City Council’s Oct. 27 meeting after a divided discussion and a recorded vote.
Councilman Bullock moved that the council “not continue to employ Mary Anne” (the city clerk); the motion received a second and was put to a vote. Two council members voted in favor and three opposed, and the motion failed.
The clerk, Mary Anne, had opened the agenda item with an account of training and office improvements, citing completion of Florida ethics and public-records training, ongoing professional coursework, the city’s Laserfiche contract workflow for contract tracking, and a fix to NextRequest invoicing. She also noted Deputy City Clerk Natasha Peacock received certified municipal clerk certification this month.
Members pressing for termination repeatedly cited lingering leadership and coordination concerns in the 90-day PIP, including a period when the deputy clerk allegedly lacked access to necessary city accounts while the clerk was traveling. One critic said the PIP’s issues — “deflection versus ownership” and “resistant feedback” — remained unresolved after 90 days.
Opposing council members said they had not seen specific, measurable examples of misconduct or performance failure. “I can’t support that,” Councilman Hayes said, adding he had spoken with other clerks in the region who praised Mary Anne’s work. Councilmember Allison asked whether the PIP could be extended or made more explicit to address items not covered in the clerk’s rebuttal.
After the termination motion failed, the council voted unanimously (5-0) to have each council member meet separately with the HR manager, Tanisha, to develop clear, measurable performance metrics and to return with HR’s recommendations. City Manager Jessica and the city attorney advised that HR-led meetings and a revised PIP would be an appropriate path forward; the clerk’s annual performance evaluation is due in November.
What next: Councilmembers will meet with HR to define measurable standards and follow a path for documentation and evaluation. The council did not terminate the clerk; instead it directed staff and elected members to pursue a refined PIP and additional HR oversight.
