This Beaufort County administrator is a finalist for top job in Florida beach city

Beaufort County’s No. 2 administrator is up for the No. 1 job in Marco Island, Fla.

Beaufort County deputy administrator Josh Gruber was named one of two finalists last week for the city manager position in the popular Florida resort community.

“It’s an exciting opportunity,” Gruber said Wednesday.

Members of the Marco Island City Council, which oversees the city manager hiring process, “were fairly complimentary” during a special hearing last week when Gruber was named a finalist, he said. “I was certainly flattered by that.”

Council vice-chairman Jared Grifoni said, “What I’m looking for is someone who will dedicate themselves to Marco Island — someone who has the experience in government and the private sector, someone who can relate to their community, and understands what Marco Island is all about.”

The 36-year-old Gruber “seems to be a good fit,” he said.

The city, a barrier island on the Paradise Coast in southwest Florida, has a population of about 16,400, according to recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Like portions of Beaufort County such as Hilton Head Island, the city’s economy is reliant on tourism.

Marco Island officials say Gruber’s experience helping lead a government in a tourism-heavy region is a point in his favor.

Of the Florida beach community, Gruber said there is “a high-quality of life down there.”

“It’s certainly a desirable area, and it shares a lot of similarities with Beaufort County,” he said.

The other city manager finalist is Anthony Hamaday, who currently serves as township manager in Marple Township, Pa.

“I’m very comfortable with Josh Gruber and I’m very comfortable with Hamaday,” Marco Island City Council chairman Larry Honig said last week. “I think we are in good shape with those two candidates.”

The council is expected to make a final hiring decision July 19.

While city officials in Marco Island are nearing the end of their hiring process, Beaufort County is beginning the search for county administrator Gary Kubic’s successor.

Kubic will retire at the end of the year, and Gruber has long been considered a potential candidate for the position.

Gruber said he hasn’t ruled anything out — “I’m simply keeping all my options open at this point.”

Kubic said Wednesday that Gruber is “a very talented professional who is fully capable of being an administrator anywhere in any community.”

If Gruber is hired and ultimately accepts the Marco Island city manager position, “it will be our loss and a huge gain for them,” Kubic said.

Earlier this month, staff with Slavin Management Consultants met with Beaufort County Council members to discuss the search for Kubic’s replacement.

The consultants plan to spend about 90 days identifying roughly 10 to 15 semifinalists — a candidate pool which will be winnowed down to about a half-dozen who will be interviewed by County Council.

This is not the first time in recent months that Gruber has been a finalist for city manager position in Florida.

In April, he was the runner-up for the top spot in the Fort Myers Beach town government. Coincidentally, that town manager job ultimately went to former Marco Island city manager Roger Hernstadt.

Gruber also isn’t the only high profile local government staffer to test the waters in the job market in recent months.

Last year, Hilton Head Island town manager Steve Riley was in the running for jobs with local governments in Georgia, Iowa, and Texas. He is currently a finalist for a city manager position in San Marcos, Texas.

This story was originally published June 28, 2017 at 3:04 PM with the headline "This Beaufort County administrator is a finalist for top job in Florida beach city."