City of Clearwater

Looking back on your extensive urban planning and public administration career, what key experiences have shaped your approach to managing city operations and driving strategic growth?

Three experiences and learned skills have shaped the way approach my work today. My approach has evolved due to experience, understanding the importance of resource identification and learning how to listen with purpose.

My first experience was leading downtown businesses in the creation of a new organization and approach to downtown development. I was fortunate enough to work with senior executives in a wide range of local businesses who were all very approachable and willing to invest their time and talents in making me better. On some days I was not my best but when I wasn’t they provided guidance and advice on how to be better and stay focused on the task. The entity that was created still exists and has grown in importance far beyond what I envisioned. This assignment was an important part of my professional growth and demonstration of success to my immediate supervisors and the organization.

Another experience that was key in my journey was my first promotion to a senior leadership position. The excitement of the opportunity prevented me from properly planning how to be successful in my new role. I replaced an outgoing director, and as the second in command I didn’t plan to replace myself. This experience was key to my approach to managing city operations and how personnel infrastructure is important to the success of public sector organizations.

Striving for excellence in service delivery must be the mindset for the organization. This is not possible without an organizational culture that places value on employees and encourages innovation.

The last experience of note was the recruitment of a grocery store to targeted redevelopment area. This project required me to use several skills and strategies to get a successful outcome. In short, the community desperately wanted a grocery store and was considered an urban “food desert”. The importance of recruiting a full-service grocery store with fresh fruit, produce and meats was critical to the existing community and identified as a key resource to recruiting new residents and private investment. Success on this project included getting “buy-in” from three critical points of view – elected officials, impacted community, internal stakeholders. Getting buy-in included a presentation of the business case that involved comparative research/analysis, evidence that all efforts were exhausted, and using both processes mentioned before to gauge and understand public concerns and feedback. The result was the successful recruitment of a well-known, national grocer that wanted to be in the area and enjoyed the benefit of building a brand-new store.

Cities today face mounting pressure to deliver services efficiently. How do you balance immediate operational demands with long-term planning across diverse municipal departments?

Striving for excellence in service delivery must be the mindset for the organization. This is not possible without an organizational culture that places value on employees and encourages innovation. Placing value on employees requires investment in making all levels of the organization feel valued. This includes training and development opportunities that translate into promotional opportunities and increased compensation. When employees see that there is a path for them to grow and succeed, they become the key to operational excellence. The same employees also realize that organizational investment in subordinates sets the stage for successful long-term planning. High-level and deliberate investment in employee pathways for opportunity will address the service delivery system with a well-trained, committed workforce.