Lake City City Manager – The Search Is On: Resigned City Manager, Paul Dyal, A Diversion
December 5, 2023 5:00 pm | 6 min read | Updated Dec. 7, 2023 - Dyal email
Columbia County Observer photo & graphic
By
Stew Lilker
LAKE CITY, FL – Once again, Lake City is looking for a City Manager. Baenziger search firm nixed; City HR will do the search. Recently resigned City Manager can apply if he wants to.
Background
Last week, City Councilman Jake Hill added an item to yesterday evening’s agenda: “18. Discussion and Possible Action - Rehiring of Paul Dyal as City Manager.”
In January of this year, after a contentious journey, Paul Dyal was hired as City Manager without a background check. Nine months later, Mr. Dyal quit without explanation.
Sometime between the time Mr. Dyal quit and last week, he contacted Councilman Jake Hill and said he wanted his old job back. Mr. Hill had the item added to the agenda for last night.
Last Night In City Hall: The Dyal Question
After the meeting got underway, the Dyal question was moved from the tail end of the agenda to the front before the item to hire a head hunter.
Mayor Witt opened the discussion on the rehiring of Ex-City Manager Dyal by reading an email from the Rev. Dr. Pamela Green. “Mr. Dyal made a conscious decision to resign… The person who gave him [Dee Johnson] glowing recommendations says he wants a six-figure job back… The City needs to be rescued by Mr. Dyal, who apparently is the only person in America who has the capability of being manager of Lake City… Mr. Dyal’s decision has shown a pattern of instability, selfishness, [and] disloyalty to the City…”
Glenel Bowden, in politics for 40 years, gave
his take on the City Manager search and Paul
Dyal.
Former City Councilman and one of former Congresswoman Corrine Brown’s top staff members and member of her inner circle, Mr. Glenel Bowden, had years of political experience. He came to the microphone.
Mr. Bowden said, ”I remember Mr. Dyal sitting right where Mr. Johnson’s sitting at two months ago. He talked about how Mr. Johnson can do the job. He's qualified to do it. He got all kinds of confidence in him doin’ it… He even said, ‘Mr. Johnson’s more qualified than him’…. What happened between the time Mr. Dyal left and the time he decided wanted to come back?”
Barbara Lemley came to the microphone and added, “I have friends that don’t live here in the area. I sometimes tell them what's going on. They said, ‘Lake City’s kind of a laughingstock.’ You guys need to get your acts together and decide which path you’re going.”
City Councilman Jake Hill explained why he added the item to the agenda, “I actually had this put on the agenda for discussion. Mr. Dyal reached out to me about coming back. And I assured him I would get it put on the agenda for discussion and I am doing what I told him I would do.”
Council Woman Chavella Young wanted to know if
Mr. Dyal was in attendance.
Councilwoman Chevella Young thought if Mr. Dyal wanted his old job back he should have been at the meeting. “As I said, ‘Mr. Dyal is not here,’ so we can't get questions and answers…
Councilwoman Young wanted Asssitant City Manager Johnson to have the interim job for eighteen months. “I know we can't vote on it tonight. I would love to see it on the next meeting agenda… I have confidence in him. I just know he can do it. He's doin’ a great job thus far… Mr. Dee Johnson deserves 18 months.”
Councilman Sampson weighed in, “So he quit. Two months later he wants his job back. I don't know why he quit. Did he have a job offer somewhere else that fell through? I don't know. That's something we would ask if he was here… If you quit, you don't get your job back. You go through the hiring process again… Mr. Johnson may one day make a good manager, but he doesn't qualify by the Charter… I believe that's correct, isn't it Mr. Johnson?”
Interim City Manager Dee Johnson listens to the
Council.
Interim City Manager Johnson replied, “Yes, per the Charter.”
Mr. Sampson said, “As far as Mr. Dyal. He quit. I'd welcome him to apply in the process.”
Councilwoman Young followed up, “So, he [Dee Johnson] doesn't qualify for City Manager. But we know he qualifies for interim, or he wouldn't be here.”
The City has no requirements for Interim City Manager. It is whatever the City Council decides at the time.
Mayor Witt added that if Mr. Dyal wanted “to send us a proposal, I’ll look at it.”
Glenel Bowden defended Mr. Johnson, “I do think that in your discussion you need to think about -- the Council member made a good point -- the Charter is the Charter. I understand that Mr. Johnson is not qualified per the Charter… When you start dickin’ with the Charter and with the code, you’re bothering with the very thing that govern this government… The decision can't be centered around a person… You’ve got to either abide by the Charter or make it a way that you can get around it. And the only way you can get around it is make him the interim because it's not required that he have the education – the degree or you don’t have to have ten years experience…”
“Don’t string the man along. It's insulting. If I was in his position, I would be insulted that Mr. Dyal even talked about coming back after he done told me I can do the job. Why? Everybody know he don't have the education requirement. Everybody know you don't have the background -- the experience requirement. So what's the motivation?”
Councilman Hill did what he said he would do. He brought forward Ex-City Manager Dyal's request. The Council let it die.
Councilman Ricky Jernigan agreed that if Mr.
Dyal wanted to reapply for his old job, he
could.
Up Next: What About That Search Firm
Next on the Council’s agenda was a resolution hiring the search firm of Colin Baenziger to do the City Manager search, the fee: $29,500.
City Attorney Todd Kennon read the title into the record.
Mayor Witt asked, “Is there a motion” for the resolution? There was none.
Councilman Hill recommended looking back at the last two or three top candidates from the last search. That search was done by S. Renee Narloch & Associates. Mr. Hill said he was “encouraging them to reapply before a search firm is hired.”
Mr. Hill continued, “I think we could save the City [the $29.5k] by going back and looking at the two top candidates from the last search.”
Mr. Bowden called out from the audience, “Mr. Mayor, I signed up to speak to that.”
Lake City Mayor Steve Witt
Mayor Witt said, "Go ahead before we get started." The Council was already started.
Mr. Bowden came to the microphone. He said, “I hate to sign up on the opposite side of my friend, Jake Hill.”
Mr. Bowden said it’s not fair to the profession to go back and interview the past top two candidates. “There are other people in this community that are willing to apply for the job… The top two may or may not be interested… It’s been two years that’s gone by. Save the money, that’s right. Then use your HR department as Mr. Sampson suggested…. Reach out into the world and see who’s out there…. I suspect there is somebody in this room that could do the job… You’re shuttin’ out good people…”
Mr. Bowden continued saying you have to think ahead, “The city manager bullshit is important… Search for some talent. This local home-grown stuff don’t work for me."
City Councilwoman Young said, “We gotta look forward, and lookin’ forward is not lookin’ at past applications.”
Mayor Witt said he wanted to hire Baenziger to do the search. He made a motion to approve the hiring of Baenziger. The Mayor asked for a second. There was no second.
Councilman Todd Sampson thought the City Manager
search should be handled in house.
Councilman Sampson recommended having HR search and, at the same time, reach out to those who have applied in the past.
Councilman Jernigan agreed with Mr. Sampson.
Mr. Sampson made the motion to have HR do the search as soon as possible and keep the application process open for 60 days. It passed 4-1, with Councilwoman Young voting against.
Epilogue
Lake City’s HR Director BillieJo Bible wasted no time posting the City Manager position to the City website. The position closes on February 2, 2023.
The complete City Manager job description is here.
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Update: December 7, 2023. Resigned City Manager Paul Dyal's "clariication."
