1675-8 New Hotels Copyright (c) 1995, The Miami Herald
DATE: Sunday, January 22, 1995 EDITION: FINAL
SECTION: NEIGHBORS MB PAGE: 3 LENGTH: 46 lines
SOURCE/CREDIT LINE: FRAN BRENNAN Herald Staff Writer
CITY READS TEA LEAVES IN MANAGER MANEUVERS
When Mayor Seymour Gelber named a committee to guide the transition to a
new city manager, he revealed a City Commission nearly split down the middle
about how and when to choose Roger Carlton's successor.
Gelber also raised some speculation about his own job. He said he was
appointing Commissioners Nancy Liebman and Sy Eisenberg to the committee
because neither was up for re- election in November. By excluding campaigning
commissioners, Gelber hoped to avoid having the selection process
"politicized" as it was when former manager Rob Parkins left in 1991.
But Gelber, whose second term ends in November, also put
himself on the committee. He denies the move implies he won't run again.
"I'm the mayor, " Gelber said. "And I wanted to chair this committee."
He also said his selection of Eisenberg and Liebman but not Commissioner
Neisen Kasdin -- whose term doesn't expire until 1997 -- was not an indication
that Kasdin had mayoral aspirations.
"I picked two commissioners that weren't up for re- election, " Gelber
said. "It's not necessary to pick all of them."
The committee will meet for the first time Thursday morning, with
Carlton's separation agreement the first order of business. Carlton announced
Jan. 11 he would resign within six months.
Although the contract he signed in March 1992 shows Carlton is not
entitled to severance pay if he voluntarily resigns, Gelber said the manager
would likely get "some compensation package."
When to hire Carlton's successor might be a more difficult issue to
tackle. Commissioners Kasdin, Eisenberg and Liebman said they wanted to move
as quickly as possible to find a new manager. Commissioners Martin Shapiro and
Susan Gottlieb preferred to appoint an interim manager and wait until after
the November elections for the final selection. Commissioner David Pearlson
wanted to wait for a report from the transition committee.
"Like everything else, we will come to a consensus, " Liebman said. "I
don't know what the process is going to be. But I've thought it out; and if we
drag this on, we're going to have more confusion than is necessary."
The calls are already coming in to the mayor's office. Gelber said four
people had contacted him by Wednesday to ask about the manager's job.
"Let's just come to a conclusion, make a decision and do it aboveboard
with sensitivity to all of our concerns and all the things the community was
disappointed in Roger for, " Liebman said. "We can find someone whose is as
hard a worker as he is but with the sensitivity to the issues of living here."
TAG: 9501050978
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mh95 RESIGNATION SHOULDN'T SLOW BEACH PROJECTS 01/15/1995