Special City Commission Meeting on City Manager Search Firm Proposals - August 26, 2025

The Sarasota City Commission held a special meeting on August 26, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 10:53 AM, to discuss proposals from three executive search firms for the recruitment of a new city manager. The commission reviewed submissions from MGT Impact Solutions (MGT), Slavin Management Consultants (Slavin), and Sumter Local Government Consulting (Sumter), heard a public comment, and deliberated on the firms’ qualifications, experience, and fees. The commission reached consensus to interview all three firms via Zoom with a structured question format to expedite the selection process.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Martin Hyde, a resident, expressed concern that two of the three bids ($18,000) were unrealistically low for the scope of work involved. He stated that a thorough national search should cost between $50,000 and $60,000 and warned that selecting a firm based on lowest price would likely result in an unsuccessful search, forcing the city to repeat the process. He emphasized the importance of hiring a “best-in-class” firm.

Discussion Items

• Commissioner Ahearn-Koch spoke first, noting that she read all proposals and had concerns about transparency: both MGT and Slavin proposed to narrow down resumes before presenting them to the commission. After clarification from the city attorney, she confirmed that all resumes would be submitted directly to the commission. She favored MGT and Slavin based on their extensive experience, retention rates, and positive references from other cities. She commended MGT’s team and its lead’s 12 years as a Florida county manager, and Slavin’s 95% retention rate and two-year guarantee.
• Commissioner Ohlrich praised the city’s request for proposals and highlighted MGT’s large nationwide network and headquarters in Tampa as assets. She found Sumter’s proposal well-organized and noted that its lower fee ($18,000) might reflect its newness in the industry, but she considered its team highly qualified. She favored MGT and Sumter. She also recommended that the commission have an official person contact municipalities that used each firm’s services to obtain official statements for the record.
• Vice Mayor Trice questioned the comparability of fee structures, noting that Slavin’s base number covered only personnel costs. She expressed doubts about Sumter’s ability to handle a search for a city of Sarasota’s size, given that its completed searches were for significantly smaller municipalities. She favored MGT and Slavin, though she remarked that Slavin’s proposal was dense and less polished.
• Commissioner Battie found MGT’s proposal the most thorough and comprehensive, citing the firm’s 51-year history, work in 45 states, and retention of 94–95% of placements. He commended MGT’s presentation of client communities by population size. He also noted Sumter’s strong proposal despite its youth, and Slavin’s solid experience. He favored MGT and Sumter.
• Mayor Alpert stated that MGT appeared superior in experience and understanding of Florida politics, and noted its database of candidates. She agreed with the public comment suggesting low fees were concerning. She pointed out that Slavin’s less polished proposal might not present a professional face to candidates.
• The commission discussed interview logistics: whether to conduct them in person or via Zoom, and whether to use standard questions or spontaneous questions. Commissioners agreed to use Zoom for all firms to ensure equal treatment and save travel costs. They decided that the City Auditor and Clerk would collect proposed standard questions from each commissioner, compile them, and share them with the firms in advance, so the firms could address them in their presentations. Commissioners would then ask any follow-up questions in real time. The goal is to schedule the interviews as soon as possible, possibly using the September 9 workshop date.

Key Outcomes

• The commission reached consensus to advance to interviews with all three search firms: MGT, Slavin Management Consultants, and Sumter Local Government Consulting.
• All interviews will be conducted via Zoom as publicly noticed Commission-related meetings.
• The City Auditor and Clerk will gather standard questions from commissioners and provide them to the firms ahead of time; firms will answer them during their presentations, allowing spontaneous follow-up questions.
• The city will aim to schedule the interviews in September 2025, potentially utilizing the September 9 workshop slot, to expedite the city manager hiring process.
• Interim City Manager David Bullock affirmed that securing a permanent city manager is the highest priority.