Leon County administrator, attorney receive job evaluations. See how they did
Leon County Administrator Vince Long and County Attorney Chasity O'Steen received nearly perfect scores on their annual evaluations from all seven county commissioners.
This comes on the heels of "political divide" leading to City Manager Reese Goad receiving mixed reviews from Tallahassee's fractured city commission.
The yearly evaluations serve as a report card where each county commissioner can provide feedback, highlight goals accomplished, and keep those who work for them accountable.
The evaluations also are crucial because the county administrator may receive a 5% yearly raise as part of the county's annual performance increase for its employees.
Long and O'Steen were judged on nine distinct categories: Professional skills and status, relations with board of commissioners, policy execution, reporting to the commission, citizen relations, staffing, supervision, fiscal management and community relations.
The rating scale for the criteria within each category is 1 to 5, with 5 being the best. Commissioners also had the opportunity to provide personal comments.
Long, who has worked the county for 29 years, 13 as administrator, received straight 5's from Commissioners Brian Welch, Bill Proctor, Rick Minor, Nick Maddox, and commission chair Carolyn Cummings. Commissioners Christian Caban and David O'Keefe gave him a 4.64 and 4.95 respectively.
O'Steen, who was appointed county attorney in April 2020, received 5's from all the commissioners except for Caban, who gave her a 4.96.
Officials praised for experience, organization
Commissioners highlighted O'Steen's professionalism, skill and transparency.
"Chasity is the most knowledgeable, professional, and structured attorney the county has seen in a very long time," Maddox said.
Herb Thiele, the county attorney before O'Steen, had been in the job for 30 years. He's now of counsel to the Nabors, Giblin & Nickerson law firm in Tallahassee.
"I have no concerns whatsoever that any and all documents, deeds, resolutions, etc. from the County have been ruthlessly scrutinized so that they fully adhere to County policy and greater state/federal law," Maddox added.
Long received similar praise on his ability to manage people and stay organized, and how he can juggle and tackle disparate requests from individual commissioners.
"Exemplary executive management of a large complex government. I can be confident he will execute his plans effectively, demonstrating a high level of competence," O'Keefe said. "I most appreciate his oversight of week-long protests at the courthouse to ensure the right to free speech for our citizens."
Minor said O'Steen could improve upon her "use of legal jargon, how it can be confusing to non-lawyers," though his comment was quickly followed up by saying that she is working very well to fix the issue and take the time to explain.
Long received more feedback than O'Steen. Minor hoped Long and his staff look into finding more ways to engage with the public in this age of social media.
Proctor added: "I continue to tout the need for higher performance in the county's expenditures with African American businesses and enterprises. I encourage Vince to proceed in this direction."
That wasn't all he had to share with Long, Proctor also wants the administrator to set his sights on a specific goal.
"Finally, after multiple years, I desire that new energy be focused on launching the fairground project as a new priority," Proctor said. "A conference center and sports facility supported by hotel options should be the goal going forward. The clock is ticking."
Both O'Steen and Long attribute their success to their relationships with the commissioners and staff, with Long saying it "comes down to the culture at the county."
And in a statement, O'Steen said her "accomplishments this year are a testament to the support of the Board of County Commissioners, the hard work of my dedicated staff, and a great working relationship with administration and staff."
Salaries at a glance
County Administrator Vince Long in 2022: $350,168
Long in 2023: $367,676
County Attorney Chasity O'Steen in 2022: $212,231
O'Steen in 2023: $222,843
Arianna Otero is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com or on X at @ari_v_otero.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: How did top Leon County appointed officials do in annual job reviews?
