Deltona commission picks former Daytona Beach manager Chisholm as city's interim manager
DELTONA — Former longtime Daytona Beach city manager Jim Chisholm is stepping out of retirement to serve as the interim manager of Volusia County's largest city.
The City Commission voted 4-2 Wednesday night in favor of Chisholm who spent nearly 17 years managing Daytona Beach before retiring in June 2021.
The motion to choose Chisholm came from Vice Mayor Maritza Avila-Vazquez who received supporting votes from Mayor Heidi Herzberg and commissioners Victor Ramos and Anita Bradford. Commissioners Loren King and Dana McCool cast the dissenting votes. Commissioner David Sosa had to leave the meeting early and wasn't present during the vote.
Bradford pointed out how long Chisholm, 77, worked in Daytona Beach.
"Do you know how many commissioners that he had to go through to be there that many years?" Bradford said. "That's not a city manager that was not doing his job."
She also said she liked that moving expenses wouldn't be a factor.
Prior to voting, each commissioner noted their top candidates; the only interviewee to land on all of the lists was Al Childress of Biscayne Park.
The city attorney's office will work up a contract, which will come back to the commission for approval, that will have Chisholm at the helm until a permanent city manager is hired.
Chisholm said by phone Thursday afternoon that he's happy he can help the city in the interim, which he recognizes could be longer than six months.
"I think it presents the opportunity to bring together the commission and the community and achieve the goals of the community overall," Chisholm said. "It's got all the makings of a tremendous city with a lot of spirit."
John Peters III, the acting city manager, put forth his resignation plan during the Sept. 19 meeting. Though he offered to stay on until Nov. 17, the commission modified the proposal, effectively putting him on paid leave until then.
Marsha Segal-George, from the city attorney's office, has been serving as interim manager since her appointment made during that same meeting.
The appointment was supposed to be for a two-week period, but Segal-George offered during the Oct. 3 commission meeting to stay on until the commission conducted interviews and chose an outside interim manager.
During Wednesday's meeting, King said he had concerns because the commission didn't hold a vote on extending Segal-George's interim status. He said that also made him question whether or not Segal-George was allowed to suspend Deputy City Manager Stacey Kifolo with pay earlier this month.
Skip Fowler, city attorney, said it appeared the commission was agreeable to Segal-George's offer to stay on and accepted it without a vote up or down.
"In a sense, kind of, silence gives consent," Fowler said.
Inquiries into the reason and terms for Kifolo's suspension remained unanswered as of Thursday afternoon.
King and McCool expressed support for Kifolo and her qualifications.
Resident Brandy White, a candidate for the District 1 commission seat, also spoke in support of Kifolo.
Commission questions candidates
Chisholm was the first of the 14 candidates interviewed by the commission via Zoom on Wednesday in City Hall.
The commission also interviewed: Al Childress of Biscayne Park; Kerlyne McHenry of Lake Worth; Emmanuel Adediran of Deerfield Beach; Peter Cavalli of Tampa; Mell Smigielski of Mexico Beach; John Williams Jr. of Lakeland; John McCue of Orange City; David Lynch of Newton Falls, Ohio; James Drumm of Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Dennis Stark of Frederick, Colorado; Lyndon Bonner of Flagler Beach; David Johnston of Fort Wright, Kentucky; and Deborah Foshee of Kenner, Louisiana.
Each interview was about 20 minutes, and each candidate was asked the same set of questions, the same process the commission followed in 2014.
Why are you interested in becoming Deltona's interim city manager? What about this position do you find most inviting? What motivates you professionally?
Identify the two management skills you possess and have used the most in managing your staff.
What is your experience with labor negotiations and what was your role or participation in the process?
Considering what you know about Deltona, what would you say are the city's shortcomings and how would you propose to encourage economic development?
As a newly appointed interim city manager of Deltona, what are some techniques you would employ to create an atmosphere of trust and unity within the city administration or government and the community? What experience will you draw upon to assist you in the transition?
What experience have you had in dealing with staff recruitment and development?
Do you have any questions of the mayor and commission?
Time permitting, commissioners asked follow-up questions of the candidates.
Sosa asked how they would mitigate flooding, which remains an issue in parts of Deltona following Ian's deluge.
Ian's impacts: Deltona sees widespread flooding after record-breaking rainfall
After Ian: Tropical storm leaves Volusia with $285 million in damages
Bradford asked the candidates if they had experience with Federal Emergency Management Agency and seeking reimbursements following a disaster, such as Ian.
King wanted to know if the candidates would use in-house talent or seek outside help in the process of managing the city; the commissioner also asked the same question specifically about union negotiations and involving labor attorneys.
McCool asked for their top three tools for conflict resolution whether the conflict involves officials, staff and/or residents.
Herzberg wanted to know if the candidates had experience in utility management and handling enterprise funds.
The mayor also explained, to the candidates who asked, that the city's immediate needs are helping residents dealing with flooding from Ian, union negotiations and uniting staff.
Chisholm talks potential
Chisholm told the commission during his interview that he's long thought Deltona "had tremendous potential and had opportunities that just weren’t fully developed."
"When the position became available, I thought I had some experience and background and probably could assist in keeping the city moving forward in the interim," Chisholm said.
He described his management style as inclusive and said he works with his team to reach the best decisions.
"I'm a pretty aggressive manager in that I don't let things lay around," Chisholm said.
He also pointed to his success in bringing industries into Daytona Beach.
"I think the very same opportunity exists in Deltona," Chisholm said.
He said when he served as manager in Daytona, he communicated with residents through newsletters and presentations.
He said he kept his commissioners apprised of the goings-on in the city on a weekly basis and held one-on-one meetings with commissioners to go over meeting agendas.
Election to bring new faces
The potential changes coming to the commission also were discussed during Wednesday's special meeting.
Herzberg is up against Santiago Avila Jr. in the race for mayor; Districts 1, 3 and 6 also are up for election in November.
The District 5 seat, currently held by Victor Ramos, was decided this week after candidate Donald Freeman dropped out, making Stephen Colwell the next commissioner.
It will be up to the new commission to select a city manager search firm in the coming months to conduct a nationwide search.
Herzberg is hoping some of the interim applicants reapply at that time.
"There are some people here that I would think would be a heck of a permanent city manager," Herzberg said.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Deltona taps former Daytona manager as interim manager
