City council selects new city manager to lead Sanibel
After two decades of leadership under the same city manager, the Sanibel City Council recently chose at a special meeting the replacement for Judie Zimomra to guide the city of Sanibel into the future.
On Sept. 30, the council unanimously selected Dana Souza in a 5-0 revote to serve as the next city manager. Making their selection by ballot, the initial vote was split 3-2, with Mayor Holly Smith and Councilmembers Dr. Scott Crater and John Henshaw in support of Souza, while Vice Mayor Richard Johnson and Councilmember Mike Miller supported Community Services Director Keith Williams.
After City Attorney John Agnew counted the ballots and shared the results, Smith reported that the same occurred 20 years ago when Zimomra received a majority of support in a split vote. She continued that the city council at that time agreed on a revote to show consensus and its support for Zimomra.
Smith asked the rest of the dais if it should follow suit. All agreed and the 5-0 revote took place.
Also at the meeting, the council selected a back-up candidate in case negotiations with Souza fall through. Making the pick again by ballot, the vote was split 4-1, with Johnson, Crater, Henshaw and Miller giving support to Williams, while Smith supported third and final candidate Jeffrey Durbin.
Again, the council agreed with a revote for consensus and Williams received an unanimous 5-0.
Prior to voting, the council members held a lengthy discussion about the three candidates. They each shared what they were seeking in the city’s next manager, including experience, skills and abilities. All five also took the opportunity to give the candidates praise and thank them for their interest and time.
In June, the city hired the firm Colin Baenziger & Associates to conduct the nationwide search for Zimomra’s replacement. About 96 candidates applied for the position, then the pool was whittled down to five for the council to consider. However, two finalists withdrew before the in-person interview.
On Sept. 29, the council held another special meeting to conduct the candidate interviews. Souza, Williams and Durbin each offered a short introduction, followed by fielding questions from the dais. In an effort to have the island involved in the process, a “community meet-and-greet” was also held.
With over 35 years of local government experience, Souza is the interim city manager in Naples. In Naples, he previously held positions as the deputy city manager and community services director.
Prior to Naples, Souza served the city of Greenville, South Carolina, as the Parks, Recreation, and Sustainability director; Marco Island as interim manager and Parks & Recreation director; city of Portland, Maine, as director of Parks & Recreation; Union, New York, as director of Parks & Recreation; and city of New Bedford, Massachusetts, as director of Parks, Cemeteries and Forestry.
To reach TIFFANY REPECKI / trepecki@breezenewspapers.com, please email