Joel EngelhardtA look at the appointees who will review applicants for the job of replacing County Administrator Verdenia Baker.
County commissioners named their choices and alternates last week for a seven-member task force with seven alternates to review applications for county administrator.
The task force is charged with submitting the names of five finalists to county commissioners. They can interview up to 10 applicants.
As of Monday, about 80 people had applied for the job, which carries a salary range of $341,403 to $477,669. Applications close April 28.
County Administrator Verdenia Baker announced Feb. 28 that she would retire May 31 after nearly 10 years on the job and nearly 38 years at the county.
The task force will shape which finalists commissioners will see. Commissioners agreed to give a preference for candidates with a master’s degree but agreed to consider those with only a bachelor’s degree as well.
That leaves the way clear for County Clerk and Comptroller Joe Abruzzo, a former state legislator, who has a bachelor’s degree. It also allows for the task force to consider several current county administrative deputies, as well.
The task force appointees, by commission district, are:
District 1 Mayor Maria Marino: Palm Beach Gardens City Manager Ron Ferris; North County Neighborhood Coalition President Sal Faso.
District 2 Commissioner Gregg Weiss: Accountant Jay Nisberg; former Riviera Beach City Manager and management consultant Ronald “Ron” Davis.
District 3 Commissioner Joel Flores: Palm Beach State College Honors Director Marcella Montesinos; hiring consultant Jorge Sigler.
District 4 Commissioner Marci Woodward: developer Sam Caliendo, her appointee to the county Zoning Commission; developer Brian Stenberg, an unsuccessful Boca Raton City Council candidate and Woodward’s appointee to the Planning Commission.
District 5 Commissioner Maria Sachs: Chabad West Delray Rabbi Yossi Shapiro; management consultant Lee Feldman.
District 6 Vice Mayor Sara Baxter: conservative business leader John R. Smith; Bedner’s Farm Fresh Market owner Steve Bedner.
District 7 Commissioner Bobby Powell: business development manager Kimberly Weston; community relations consultant Bruce Lewis.
Joel is a founder, reporter and editor at Stet News. His award-winning newspaper career spanned more than 40 years, including 28 years at The Palm Beach Post, which he left in 2020. Joel lives with his wife in Palm Beach Gardens. He volunteers on the board of NAMI Palm Beach County and the Palm Beach Gardens Historical Society.
