Gretsas: To Be, or Not To Be?

     City Managers know one thing for certain. Someday, they will quit or be fired!

     Floyd Johnson, Fort Lauderdale City Manager from 1998 until 2003, never saw his day coming. He was fired without warning in the middle of a City Commission meeting. Former City Commissioner Cindi Hutchinson, under attack with her colleagues for a tight budget year, called for his head, and off his head went!


                                                                  
                                                                     Hanbury


     George Hanbury was the Manager before Johnson. He wasn’t fired, but quit eight years into the job after relentless attacks by former Mayor Jim Naugle made the job unbearable.

     And this Tuesday, current Fort Lauderdale City Manager George Gretsas’  city employment  is on the line.

                                                              
                                                                  Gretsas
 
    
Gretsas has survived for over five years now. He has both detractors, and fans, both in the citizenry and the City Commission. 
     His most vocal detractor has been City Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom, who calls for his head, or sharply criticizes him at nearly every meeting. Tuesday will be her chance to see if she can talk at least two other Commissioners into sending Gretsas packing.

     Connected insiders say it is playing out this way – 

     Rodstrom and City Commissioner Bruce Roberts would like to find a new Manager. Roberts quit his post a few years back as Fort Lauderdale Police Chief, blaming Gretsas for his exit.

     New Commissioners Dubose and Rogers are said to be fans of Gretsas. They’ll vote to keep him, making it a 2-2 tie! 

     That leaves Mayor Seiler !


                                            
                                                         
 Gretsas and Seiler

    
Seiler says the Gretsas employment matter has been quite explosive. He’s fielded at least 50 calls on the matter, both pro-Gretsas and anti-Gretsas, but he won’t say what he’ll do on Tuesday. One thing’s for sure – Seiler likes to keep the ship in calm waters, whenever possible. 

     But Tuesday’s weather could turn stormy !

    

Throwing In The Towel !

     So I’m up at the Peter Pan Diner on Oakland Park Boulevard, having a healthy breakfast of oatmeal, with raisins, and reading the paper,  when I spot the article –

     Governor Crist to interview two candidates today for County Commissioner appointment to replace
suspended County Commissioner
Josephus Eggelletion. 

     
Now I’ve known all along that the chance of me getting the nod were slim (at best), but I keep reading, though I squint to protect myself.

     The article mentions two names:

           Commissioner Albert C. Jones  ( Republican ) … African American .


                                                           and


             Levi Williams  ( Republican) .. African American 


     I’m sure it’s just an oversight that my name wasn’t mentioned in the article – maybe the phone will ring any moment with a call from the GUV !


Tim Smith (Democrat)  … not African American …


   ……..   you see,  Governor Crist has denied speculation that he’ll have to appoint a Republican, to fend off the challenge
from the very conservative former State House Speaker Marco Rubio in the Republican primary for the open U.S. Senate seat.

   …….    and Crist has also denied allegations that his appointment will also have to be black, to win the seat in the General Election, where some cross-over Democratic vote might be necessary to win.


          Regardless of all this speculation and punditry,  I’ve decided to step aside, remove my name from contention. Save the Governor the phone call. 

     ……..  I’ll look forward to working with whomever gets the appointment !