Gruber named Hilton Head’s interim top exec after search firm, candidates withdraw
The Town of Hilton Head Island will be managed by Josh Gruber while the town takes a break from its executive search to replace retiring Town Manager Steve Riley.
The move was announced Tuesday evening after the executive search firm tasked with finding a new manager pulled out of the process. The town suspended its search last month after it resulted in only two candidates, one of whom was Assistant Town Manager Gruber.
Colin Baenziger and Associates, a highly regarded firm responsible for placing the lion’s share of town managers in Florida, withdrew from doing further work with the town, Hilton Head Mayor John McCann said Tuesday night.
McCann said the council will discuss the search for a new town manager at its January workshop and restart a search for a top executive following the workshop.
The announcement came following prodding from Town Council member David Ames, who took issue with the council’s failure to report anything from its special meeting Monday on the issue.
Contacted Tuesday, Baenziger confirmed he withdrew his firm from the town’s search process. He said he did so because “essentially we had a difference of opinion on how the search would proceed.”
He said he and the town have not negotiated how the remainder of the firm’s contract will be paid.
The town was to pay $26,500 to the executive search firm. As of Oct. 19, the town had paid Colin Baenziger & Associates $14,000, according to documents obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request.
It was unclear Tuesday evening whether the town would make a second payment to the search firm or whether any money will be refunded.
“I hope we get paid for the part of the contract we did complete, which was the candidate vetting process,” Baenziger said.
Departing Town Manager Steve Riley will retire Dec. 31 after 29 years with the town. Gruber will serve as the interim town manager until a new one is hired.
Gruber’s hiring and the delay in resuming the town manager search comes amid a leadership shakeup in Beaufort County. On Monday, after the County Council agreed privately to fire Beaufort County Administrator Ashley Jacobs, she submitted her resignation. She had served in the position since April 2019.
The person chosen as Hilton Head’s town manager will chart the town’s course at a crucial moment in the island’s history.
Under Riley, the town has created a robust land acquisition program and managed projects such as the Cross Island Parkway, the Lowcountry Celebration Park, Shelter Cove Towne Centre and countless road projects to handle the island’s growth.
Since Hilton Head has a part-time mayor/full-time town manager system of government, the town manager oversees all town staff and is considered the person who turns Town Council objectives into actionable items that create material changes throughout the island.
The town manager is responsible to the council for the proper administration of all affairs of the municipality, including appointing employees, fixing salaries, preparing and executing the town’s annual budget and advising the council on future needs of the town, according to the job description on the town’s website.
The town’s job posting says the salary range for a new hire was between $158,000 and $245,000.
Transparency in the town manager search
Some residents have complained the council is being too private in the hiring process, and a candidate pool of only two exacerbated suspicions about the process.
As for Gruber’s place in the previous search, Baenziger said in September he could not comment on Gruber’s inclusion in the list, which some have speculated was a deliberate move by some members of the Town Council.
Asked Tuesday whether Gruber’s involvement in the search process had anything to do with his decision to withdraw, Baenziger said no.
The council holds all of its discussions about the town manager hiring process in executive session. That means members cannot share or announce efforts unless the council has taken an official vote, and that cannot happen inside of executive session.
“Right now, there are so many issues taking place such as national, state and local elections. We are continuing to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, and we’re in the midst of planning our annual Town Council retreat that will include newly elected council members,” McCann said. “After much discussion, we decided it was best to hold off on the search a little while longer and give ourselves more time to determine how we want to move forward.”
This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 2:35 PM.
