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Council directs HR to draft performance plan for city clerk after public‑records dispute; residents urge training, others defend clerk
Summary
Following public concern about a mishandled public‑records request and emailed council communications, the council voted to ask human resources to draft a targeted performance improvement plan for City Clerk Mary Anne Gerard focused on leadership and public‑records processes and training.
The Crestview City Council on June 9 voted to instruct human resources to develop a performance improvement plan (PIP) for City Clerk Mary Anne Gerard, citing concerns about public‑records handling, internal communications and coordination with council members.
Council debate was extensive and divided. Several council members described a pattern of communication and records‑management problems and urged corrective steps, while other members said the evidence presented to the council was limited and urged a narrower or private remedy. The city clerk acknowledged a recent problematic public‑records release, took responsibility as the records custodian and described steps already taken: she said she changed file‑access rights so only she can release records, added links to the city website (including Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes and the Government in the Sunshine manual) and is researching alternative public‑records portals. She apologized for the error and said staff logging and tracking of requests had been put in place previously.
After initial debate the council first voted to proceed with a PIP and then gave HR specific direction: HR should prepare a draft PIP focused on leadership/management training (for example, training available through the Florida Association of City Clerks), public‑records policy and process improvements (including clearer cost/authorization procedures for large or complex requests), and a regimen of one‑on‑one meetings or regular check‑ins with council members during the PIP period. Council members discussed timelines of 90–120 days for milestones and whether training enrollment within that timeframe would suffice if course schedules delayed completion.
Public comment included multiple residents who defended the clerk’s longstanding service and urged training over punishment; other residents raised broader concerns about police response at community events and civic outreach. NAACP representative Sabu Williams urged restraint in public criticism, saying some matters could have been resolved without a public airing. Several residents said they had positive working experiences with the clerk.
Council action: HR was directed to prepare a proposed PIP and return it to council for review. The motion to have HR draft the plan and bring it back passed on the final vote recorded in the meeting (council instructed HR to prepare the plan; vote recorded as in favor unanimously present at the final action).
