Joel EngelhardtJoe Abruzzo, two county administrators seek top county job; task force has one month to pick five finalists.
May 9 update: Ninety-six candidates made the first cut and their names were turned over to the task force. See the list here.
More than 220 people applied to be the next Palm Beach County administrator.
Among the 223 candidates: Two high-ranking county administrators, Patrick Rutter and Isami Ayala-Collazo, and County Clerk and Comptroller Joe Abruzzo.
County officials expect about half will not make the first cut because they don’t meet the minimum criteria for the job.
- That will leave more than 100 applicants to be reviewed by a County Commission-appointed task force, which met for the first time Thursday.
Why it’s important: County government is one of the area’s largest employers, with 6,500 workers. It collects and spends $1.5 billion in property taxes as part of a $9 billion budget. The new administrator will answer only to the seven-member elected County Commission.
Zoom in: The task force picked longtime conservative business leader John R. Smith as its chairperson, with accountant Jay Nisberg as vice chairperson. County Commissioner Sara Baxter appointed Smith. Commissioner Gregg Weiss appointed Nisberg.
Catch up quick: The task force includes seven prime members and seven alternates. Members agreed to select two finalists each to narrow the pool to no more than 14. They are expected to interview finalists before submitting up to five names to county commissioners in early June. County commissioners will make the final decision.
The new administrator will replace Verdenia Baker, who announced Feb. 28 that she would retire May 31 after nearly 10 years in the job. Baker, an internal candidate, was selected over another internal candidate, Shannon LaRocque, after a national search in 2015.
What’s next: The task force scheduled its next meeting for 9:30 am May 14.
Click here to see the applicants
Click here to watch the meeting video (Note: The 2:35-minute video encountered technical difficulties for the first 20 minutes.)
Click here to see a list of task force members
Click here to see the job posting
Read more from Stet:
Clerk Abruzzo at center of search for new administrator
No rush: County slows search for top administrator
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.
