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Madeira Beach narrows city manager search; consultants recommend interviews with five to seven finalists
Summary
Consultant Renee Norlock presented five recommended city manager finalists to the Madeira Beach Board of Commissioners and outlined a compressed interview schedule; commissioners expressed a preference for Michael Hellfrick and Debbie Mans, agreed to proceed with interviews and to add Lynn Ladner and Adrien Jones for consideration, and asked staff to arrange candidate visits and a public meet‑and‑greet.
Madeira Beach — The Board of Commissioners on Thursday reviewed consultant Renee Norlock’s recommended slate of finalists for the city manager search and agreed to move forward with on‑site interviews and community meet‑and‑greet events within weeks.
Norlock, of Norlock and Associates, told the commission her firm reached broadly and “we had about 56 candidates” before narrowing the list to five finalists she recommended for interviews. She said the plan is to schedule one‑on‑one interviews during a full day, an evening community meet‑and‑greet and a public presentation the following morning, with debriefing and negotiations to follow.
Why it matters: Madeira Beach officials said hiring the next city manager is a top priority given the city’s coastal challenges, tourism pressures and recent turnover in city leadership. Commissioners emphasized coastal experience, longevity and community engagement as top selection criteria.
During the session Norlock read brief profiles of the five candidates she recommended: Stanley Hawthorne, Michael Hellfrick, Debbie Mans, Timothy Owens and Raymond Palmer, describing each candidate’s background in municipal management, public works or community development. She said interviews should take place soon after the March 10 election date and urged the board to compress the schedule so the city does not lose candidates.
Commissioners indicated Michael Hellfrick — described by the consultant as a local candidate with a public‑works engineering background and property in Madeira Beach — and Debbie Mans — described as a long‑tenured city manager in Newport Richie with community‑development experience — were their top picks on paper. Several commissioners also asked Norlock to consider adding two additional coastal‑experience candidates, Lynn Ladner and Adrien Jones, bringing the potential interview slate to five to seven candidates.
Norlock said she delays contacting references until finalists are selected to avoid alerting current employers, and that the firm performs more detailed background and reference checks once the board narrows the field. She also told the commission she would provide commissioners with salary expectations and a standard list of contract terms to guide debriefing and possible negotiations, noting Florida law places limits on certain severance provisions.
Concerns raised in the meeting included emailed reports and local coverage suggesting that one candidate retired abruptly and that another had been dismissed by a prior employer. Norlock said her understanding of both situations differed, recommended those topics be addressed directly in one‑on‑one interviews and pledged to monitor news reports between now and the interviews.
Next steps: By consensus the board agreed to proceed with scheduling interviews and the community meet‑and‑greet and directed staff and the consultant to set dates and provide compensation/terms information. Norlock estimated travel reimbursements for out‑of‑area finalists at roughly $2,500 total, and said she would notify candidates and clear schedules once dates are set.
