Manatee County government adds more new changes and hires a school district leader
Manatee County leaders have hired away the assistant superintendent of the school district to become the government’s fourth deputy county administrator.
Mitchell Teitelbaum, who served as general counsel for Manatee schools since May 2014, will be reunited with County Administrator Scott Hopes. Both officials worked alongside one another when Hopes served as a school board member from 2017-21.
Previous Manatee County administrators utilized two deputy county administrators during their tenures, but Hopes has reorganized the government’s structure to use four deputies.
In a presentation to the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday morning, Hopes said the changes improve government efficiency and reduce costs.
“As you know, over the past year and a half, we’ve been redesigning the county,” Hopes told board members, noting that the reorganization reduces the number of direct reports to Hopes from 20 to six employees.
Under Manatee County’s organizational chart, department directors report to deputy county administrators who then report to Hopes. By combining job duties and rearranging positions, Hopes boasted $273,000 in annual salary savings compared to the previous county administrator’s executive staff.
Under the previous county administrator, deputies made a base salary of about $170,000 in 2020. Each of Hopes’ deputy administrators earns a base salary of $191,000, but there are overall cost savings because some deputies double as department heads.
Following a unanimous appointment by the Manatee Board of County Commissioners, Teitelbaum joins Charlie Bishop, Courtney De Pol and Robert Reinshuttle on the team of deputy county administrators.
Teitelbaum exits school district
In his new role, Teitelbaum will oversee the county’s departments that handle information outreach, public records, human resources and economic development.
Schools Superintendent Cynthia Saunders also recently announced she is leaving at the end of the school year. District spokesperson Michael Barber said the school board will host a Dec. 13 workshop meeting to discuss filling Saunders’ position. Teitelbaum’s job has already been posted on the school’s hiring board.
“I want to express my extreme gratitude to this board. It’s been wonderful to serve the school board,” said Teitelbaum, who begins his tenure with the county in December. “This is a new chapter.”
“It’s a good alignment and I appreciate his willingness to come down the street,” Hopes added.
Bishop and Reinshuttle were the first two people Hopes hired to become deputy county administrators. De Pol was originally hired in January as the director of the Development Services department before she was quickly promoted to deputy county administrator in June.
Because of his background as a lawyer and experience steering a large organization at the School District of Manatee County, commissioners said they were pleased to welcome Teitelbaum to his new position in county government.
“What I heard is about your intelligence, as well as your organization and your ability to get things done in a really productive way,” said Commissioner Amanda Ballard. “I found that very comforting as we move forward on this process.”
“I know that with your expertise and with you being a licensed attorney, the different departments that you’ll be involved in, it’ll be helpful with your background as an attorney,” Commissioner Vanessa Baugh added.
During public comment on Teitelbaum’s appointment, one caller questioned whether Teitelbaum is an appropriate fit to oversee the Human Resources Department, pointing to a 2020 incident that required him to take three classes on sexual harassment and workplace sensitivity.
“It’s ironic that he’ll be in charge of HR, but there was a sexual harassment claim that he had to take some additional training on and that was only about a year and a half ago,” said Garin Hoover, who urged the board to reconsider Teitelbaum’s appointment.
Manatee confirms CFO McLean
Moments later, board members confirmed Sheila McLean as the county’s chief financial officer. McLean, who has worked in public finance for the government for more than 25 years, was named interim CFO in May following Jan Brewer’s resignation earlier this year.
“She is an exceptional resource and is a very good financial counsel to me,” Hopes said.
Commissioners also praised McLean for the work she has done since her promotion.
“Our CFO left and you stepped right in and didn’t miss a beat,” Baugh said.
“One of the things I recognize is that when the time came, you stepped up to the plate and I appreciate that,” added Commissioner Jason Bearden.
More than a dozen Finance Department staffers huddled around McLean as she accepted her confirmation into the CFO position.
“I started my career 30 years ago, but it was in Manatee County that I began my lifetime career,” McLean said. “Manatee County is reacting to how the entire world is changing, and it’s time to embrace change.”
How is Manatee County’s government organized?
According to the latest organization chart, county departments report to the following officials:
County Administrator Scott Hopes
County Administration
Civic Center
Information Technology
Finance
Deputy County Administrator Charlie Bishop
Property Management
Sports and Leisure
Public Works
Deputy County Administrator Courtney De Pol
Development Services
Utilities
Deputy County Administrator Robert Reinshuttle
Agriculture Extension Services
Public Safety
Community and Veteran Services
Natural Resources
Deputy County Administrator Mitchell Teitelbaum
Human Resources
Manatee County Area Transit
Fleet Services
Code Enforcement
Economic Development
Public Records
Information Outreach
