Time for Sanibelians to come together
To the editor:
I disagree with the Island Reporter having a Web poll question about “Which candidate would you have picked for Sanibel’s next city manager?” Luckily, for our city, this critical decision rested with our Sanibel City Council, with ample opportunity for citizen input and public comment. It was never intended to be a popularity contest, although some supporters of one candidate tried to make it that.
Dana Souza accepted the job offer and begins work as Sanibel’s new city manager on Nov. 15. His professional experience will help steer our city in the right direction. Sanibel has a strong city manager form of government, so he deserves our support. Give him a chance.
Judie Zimomra was here for 20 years but most forget she had zero experience as a city manager when she began work here. Even after 20 years, she could not undertake desperately needed strategic planning and pay equity projects because they were beyond her ken. Although her employment contract required her to have an annual performance review, in her 20 years with the city she only had two written performance reviews. Two. Zimomra was outstanding in some areas, while lax in others. In other words, she was human. Those who “kissed her ring” did just fine; those who dared challenge her, as I did, still have arrows in their back. She needs to be in our rear view mirror.
If Jeffrey Durbin had possessed coastal experience, he would have been a more serious candidate. If Keith Williams had the required city manager experience, as Souza does, he would also have been a more serious candidate. Being Zimomra’s handpicked successor was not a qualification. The city paid a lot of money to a professional search firm which excluded Williams as a finalist due to his lack of the required experience. He was only added when the council demanded it. (Then there’s the matter of Williams acting as Sanibel’s city engineer, receiving pay increases because of that, and signing correspondence as “P.E.” long after his Georgia certification expired in 2014; he never applied for Florida’s certification.) After several years under the tutelage of Souza, Williams can broaden his credentials and become a more effective manager.
Now is the time for Sanibelians to come together for the good of our city, just as the council voted unanimously for Sousa. When he succeeds, our city will too.
Alison Ward
Sanibel