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Marco Island council conducts public interviews of four city manager finalists; discussion centers on budget, water quality and resilience
Summary
At a May 11 workshop the Marco Island City Council interviewed four finalists for city manager. Candidates emphasized different strengths — finance, change management, engineering and internal continuity — and councilors pressed them on the charter spending cap, water quality projects and building internal financial controls.
The Marco Island City Council held a public workshop on May 11 to interview four finalists for the city manager position, hearing roughly one hour from each candidate before the council. Councilors emphasized fiscal planning under the city charter’s spending cap, water‑quality strategies for the island’s canals and the need to strengthen internal financial controls and audit compliance.
Diana Snover of Human Resources opened the workshop by outlining the schedule and formats for the day and reminding the public that no formal appointment would be made. Chair Palumbo led the session and asked councilors to rotate questions among candidates to ensure broad participation.
Kevin Greenville, a finance‑centered candidate who said he is a CPA and holds a master’s in accounting information systems, framed his candidacy around stabilizing budgets and long‑term debt planning. Greenville told councilors he would prioritize a multi‑year strategic financial plan and would seek to align any debt issuances with a planned, sequenced approach rather than piecemeal borrowing. “When I budget, I typically do one to three years of very detailed revenue and expenditure” forecasting, he said. He also cautioned that audit findings should not jeopardize planned debt issuances and suggested careful communication with rating agencies.
Tracy Miller, who described herself as a change agent with a nonprofit and municipal background, emphasized inclusive decision‑making and performance management. Miller proposed moving Marco Island from a line‑item budget to a program budget over time, argued for clearer public communication on the budget, and urged annual priority setting to make the existing strategic plan operational. On environmental matters she said advanced wastewater treatment (AWT) is not a single solution; she recommended layered responses that include aeration, dredging where warranted, reclaimed water practices and stronger resident compliance.
Ricardo Mendez, a registered civil engineer and former municipal executive, focused his remarks on infrastructure and a science‑based approach to water quality. Mendez said he would begin with assessments of strengths, opportunities and threats, prioritize drainage and water‑system projects, and marshal grants and user‑fee changes to diversify revenue under the spending cap. He cited past experience leading capital‑program teams and said documenting project work and strengthening project management were essential to reduce cost overruns.
Casey (Dr.) Lucius, the city’s interim manager and a naval veteran, described work already underway: ongoing audits, water‑quality testing, an aeration/circulation program and a five‑part plan (stormwater management, reclaimed water uses, circulation improvements, continuing monitoring, and septic‑to‑sewer transitions). Lucius acknowledged recurring audit material weaknesses and said she has begun restructuring finance roles, developing grant policies and building cross‑training and internal controls. She urged building systems rather than adding single positions and recommended regular, transparent reporting to the council and public.
Councilors questioned candidates at length about the charter’s spending cap, strategies to diversify revenue without overburdening residents, vendor management in a market with limited contractors, and how each candidate would handle moving to Marco Island and building relationships with county and state partners. On AWT and canal health, multiple councilors stressed that the city still lacks clear cost and implementation details and that any solution will require regional cooperation and grant support.
A single public commenter, Mr. Bolano, closed the public‑comment period by urging the council to hire Dr. Lucius as the permanent city manager and praising her decision to compete for the position in an open process.
No formal action or appointment was taken during the workshop. Human Resources asked councilors to submit evaluation forms by 5 p.m. the following day; the council may take up the appointment at a future public meeting.
