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Strong disagreements at Lynn Haven meeting over city‑manager hire; motion to appoint interim manager fails, commission schedules public finalist interviews
Summary
A motion to remove the 'interim' title from Chris Lightfoot and offer him a contract failed; commissioners and public insisted on following the advertised finalist interview process. The commission agreed to hold public interviews of four finalists (target date March 16) and to designate a primary and backup after those interviews.
A contentious floor debate over the city manager search ended with a failed attempt to appoint Interim City Manager Chris Lightfoot as the permanent manager. Several commissioners and residents urged hiring Lightfoot immediately; others and multiple speakers insisted the commission follow the previously advertised process and hold public finalist interviews.
The commission update showed four finalists remain from an initial applicant pool of about 98. Commissioner Purnell moved to offer Lightfoot a city manager contract and remove his interim title, citing months of service and departmental morale improvements. Several commissioners, members of the public and staff pushed back, arguing for transparent finalist interviews and reminding the commission of the evaluation criteria used earlier in the recruitment process.
Public commenters raised past allegations connected with an FDLE review and urged commissioners to follow the advertised process for fairness and transparency. Commissioners debated process, qualifications (degrees vs. years of experience), and scheduling logistics. The motion to appoint Lightfoot was called and failed on roll call (one commissioner voted yes; four voted no), after which commissioners directed staff to bring the four finalists in for public in‑person interviews, targeting March 16 (or earlier if schedules allow). The commission agreed to require the same questions of each candidate where practicable and to select a primary and alternate following interviews, with staff authorized to negotiate a contract with the primary select.
Next steps: staff (HR) to notify finalists, schedule in‑person interviews, create an interview plan (time allocation, question sets, candidate order), and provide commissioners with logistical details in advance.
