Boca Raton council directs contract talks with Mark Soheny after five finalist interviews

After a day of hour-long interviews with five finalists, the Boca Raton City Council voted unanimously on Aug. 12, 2025, to authorize negotiations with finalist Mark Soheny for the city manager role and directed staff to return a proposed employment agreement for the council’s public approval.

Mayor Singer opened the special meeting by thanking the outgoing city manager, George Brown, for “nearly 50 years” of service and explaining the purpose was to interview finalists and identify the person “best suited to lead the organization in the future.” The panel of council members and a Mercer Group consultant put each finalist through a standardized seven-question format covering leadership, infrastructure, public safety, fiscal management and communications.

Mark Soheny, an external finalist who told the panel he has “37 years of experience,” emphasized his leadership of large, parallel infrastructure programs and crisis responses during prior military and base-management roles. Soheny said his priorities for Boca would include getting the government campus and police station projects “done on time and under budget” while maintaining fiscal discipline and strengthening community and labor relationships.

Council discussion after the interviews stressed two themes: internal continuity and operational depth among internal finalists, and outside experience managing major, multi‑phase projects among external candidates. Council members praised James Zervis, the city’s chief financial officer and deputy city manager, for his financial and operational expertise; they also praised former Boca official Mr. Camayo and other finalists for their local knowledge. Ultimately councilmembers said Soheny’s experience leading multi-billion-dollar programs and long track record in crisis management made him the best fit to move the city forward at this moment.

Mayor Singer announced the council’s direction: authorize the mayor and city attorney to negotiate a proposed employment agreement with Soheny and return it to the full council in a future public meeting for final action. The mayor and city attorney will coordinate potential transition timing, with outgoing City Manager George Brown indicating he intends to remain available through Jan. 4, 2026, to assist with a handoff.

The council’s action is a directive to begin contract talks, not a final hiring vote; any employment contract must be presented and approved in a public council meeting. The council indicated it expects to review negotiated terms as early as the council’s next scheduled meeting cycle and requested that the mayor seek a start-date and an understanding about relocation timing; councilors expressed a preference that a successful candidate establish a primary residence in or near Boca Raton within about one year of start.

What comes next: the mayor and the city attorney will lead contract negotiations and return a draft employment agreement for public deliberation and a final council vote. If approved, the new manager will assume lead responsibility for ongoing capital priorities including the downtown government campus and police station projects, plus ongoing strategic fiscal planning and public-safety staffing and technology initiatives.

Quotes from the meeting include Mayor Singer’s opening on the pool of finalists and the city’s gratitude for outgoing leadership: “We’ve got a great group of candidates,” and City Manager George Brown added procedural context for the interviews. In his closing remarks, Soheny said he was “honored to be considered” and emphasized readiness to lead projects and build community trust. The council’s voice vote to proceed with negotiations was recorded as unanimous.

The council thanked Mercer Group Associates for assisting with the recruitment and all five finalists for participating. No final employment terms were approved during the meeting; the council’s directive begins the formal negotiation process that will culminate in a public vote on any proposed contract.