Florida city punts on hiring Beaufort County’s second-in-command

After a lengthy, and at times contentious, meeting Wednesday night, leaders in Marco Island, Fla., declined to offer the city’s top job to Beaufort County deputy administrator Josh Gruber.

The three-hour marathon session of the island’s seven-member city council resulted in a 4-3 vote against hiring Beaufort County’s second-in-command.

Several council members remarked on what they believe to be the 36-year-old Gruber’s lack of experience as the top leader in a local government.

Council member Bob Brown said Gruber might face steep learning curve and “we need to run and not walk.”

Council member Charlette Roman echoed this sentiment, saying she is “concerned that (Gruber) doesn’t have the city manager experience necessary for our very complicated community.”

However, Gruber was not without enthusiastic supporters on the island’s city council as well as locals who met with him during his visit to Marco Island, which included a public meet-and-greet Tuesday.

Council vice-chairman Jared Grifoni called Gruber a “go-getter” and said he was the one candidate who “stood out above the pack.”

Chairman Larry Honig commended Gruber’s “strong background (working in) the guts of local government.”

Regarding the perception of a lack of experience, Honig said he expected Gruber to be able to successfully “grow into the job.”

Much of the discussion between city officials had little to do with Gruber or his qualifications. Instead, the focus was on perceived flaws in the candidate identification and recruitment process.

Council members expressed concerns that Gruber was the sole candidate being considered following the unexpected withdrawal of Marple Township, Pa., manager Anthony Hamaday, the other city manager finalist.

“Our process has let us down … and our (residents) are concerned about that,” council member Joe Batte said.

He recommended that the Mercer Group, the executive search firm brought to identify and vet candidates, “get a few additional candidates” for the council to consider prior to extending a job offer.

W.D. Higginbotham, a consultant with The Mercer Group, told the council it will likely take several months to produce a new list of qualified candidates.

It’s unclear whether Gruber will be on that list.

“I have a personal philosophy that I never prejudge what’s going to happen in the future,” he said.

And while Gruber said he did not plan to withdraw from future consideration, he was “not going to wait on any (other job) offer that may come about.”

Gruber has long been considered a potential replacement for Beaufort County administrator Gary Kubic when he retires at the end of the year.

He addressed that issue Wednesday, telling members of city council, “My existing boss is retiring, and I very well may be in line to be considered to take over his position when he retires.”

This is the second time in recent months Gruber was in striking distance of a new job.

In April, Gruber was the runner-up for the city manager position in Fort Meyers Beach, Fla.

This story was originally published July 19, 2017 at 8:52 PM with the headline "Florida city punts on hiring Beaufort County’s second-in-command."