There’s more shuffling at Pensacola City Hall, with the departure of a high-profile contract employee, and two job openings near the top.
WANTED: A pair of assistant city administrators – to help Administrator Eric Olson. Olson and former Chief Operating Office Tamara Fountain – who resigned earlier this month – had been dividing up the workload. The dual assistants are a throwback to the old Manager-Council form of government, which was replaced by the new charter in 2009.
The assistant administrators will report to Olson, who then reports to the Mayor. Mayor Ashton Hayward says it’s a matter of getting rid of some of the bureaucratic clutter on the 7th Floor.
“That’s one thing that’s been a little confusing,” said Hayward. “At the end of the day everybody works for the Mayor, and there’s a change of command.”
Pensacola has not had an assistant administrator since Eric Olson was promoted earlier this year. One of the positions deals with day-to-day operations, most of which is in-house duties.
The operations position requires a minimum seven years’ experience, including three years of managerial know-how in a position that’s equivalent to deputy chief administrative officer. A master’s degree in public administration is preferred.
The other post involves areas of policy and support. The Mayor says whoever is hired will oversee some departments, and also communicate the administration’s policies to other elected officials.
The policy position requires eight years’ experience in government or public service, with a master’s degree in public or business administration highly preferred.
The job openings were posted shortly after Derrick Cosson announced he was terminating his contract with the city. Cosson resigned as a city employee late last year, but didn’t leave until April. He was given the contract a month later.
“We chatted about it, and it was time for him to move on and go focus on his business,” Hayward said. “When you become the first strong mayor, you want to bring in your team that’s focused on many different things. Could we done things differently? Of course we could have. “
The city is also looking to hire a human resources coordinator. Information on that, and the two assistant administrator positions can be found at www.ci.pensacola.fl.us.
