The candidates for Miami Springs City Manager presented themselves at the recent City Council Meeting. Each of the four finalists spoke up and gave their pitch as to why they should be selected as the next City Manager for the City of Miami Springs. The four candidates are:
- Juan Jimenez
- Dale Martin
- Tammy Romero
- Chris Russo
Listen to each candidate in the video below:
CANDIDATE RESUMES
You can also view each candidate’s resume below:
CANDIDATE PLANS:
After viewing each candidate’s resume and in-person presentation, you can also review each candidate’s initial plans for the City of Miami Springs:
Juan C. Jimenez 30 – 60 – 90 Day Plans
Transition Plan
As a manager with over 20 years of experience, I have learned that each city has its own distinct culture with their own specific needs. The first 90 days, as outlined below, will be dedicated to establishing a rapport with Councilmembers and staff and familiarizing myself with the culture of the city, the current issues facing the city and the projects in progress. Additionally, due to the timing of the transition, immediate attention needs to be given to the proposed budget for fiscal year 2023-24 and to the expiring police union contract.
30 Day Plan
- Meet with each individual Councilmembers to discuss the history of the city and their priorities and vision for the city.
- Meet with all department directors to discuss current operations and any potential challenges they see coming.
- Once I meet with each department director, I will meet and introduce myself to all employees in each department.
- Meet with retiring City Manager William Alonso to discuss the challenges he faced during his tenure with Miami Springs. Mr. Alonso is a well-respected Manager whose insight and history will be extremely beneficial.
- Meet with the Assistant City Manager to establish a positive working relationship. Ms. Romero has been with the city for 18 years and will certainly be an asset to the next manager.
- Meet with Finance Director to discuss the status of the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Considering the statutory requirements, this will be a priority.
- Meet with Police Chief Guzman to discuss current operations of the Police Department and to discuss the upcoming collective bargaining agreement.
- Meet with the police labor negotiations team with our Labor Attorney and Human Resources Director to begin negotiations.
- Meet with the manager of the golf course and country club to discuss the ongoing renovation future operational plan.
- Meet with Parks and Recreation Director Omar Luna and visit all of the city’s parks and recreation facilities.
- Meet with the City Attorney’s Office to discuss any open litigation.
- Visit local restaurants and businesses to discuss the issues and challenges they encounter regularly.
In addition, I will take every opportunity to introduce myself to the residents of the city and take the time to speak with them about their community.
60 Day Plan
In the next 30 days , we will turn our focus to some of the issues that the city is currently facing. These include:
- Finalize the proposed budget for fiscal year 23-24.
- Finalize new Police Union contract to coincide with the new fiscal year budget.
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Meet with City attorney’s office, the Intergovernmental Affairs team and the County to discuss the pending land annexation west of the city. The purpose of this meeting is to find out what obstacles remain that prevent the city from finalizing the annexation.
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Meet with the Human Resources Director to discuss updating the City’s compensation plan and to review all job classifications and descriptions to ensure they are up to date and compliant with applicable labor laws. Most cities use outside HR consultants to conduct a new Classification and Compensation Study.
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Meet with the Public Works Director, the engineers to discuss the status of the five public infrastructure projects. If the projects are only in the planning phase, the Finance Director would be included to determine if project funding has been secured.
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Review the current Capital Improvement Plan.
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Meet with the City’s Public Information Manager to review the City’s social media strategy.
90 Day Plan
In the next 30 days, we will begin focusing on execution.
- Work with the City Attorney’s Office to begin developing a plan to update the City’s Code of Ordinances.
- Work with the City Planner, engineer, and other appropriate staff to discuss the parking needs in the downtown area and review any and all actions previously taken to address this issue.
- Meet with the City’s Planning Staff or consultants to discuss the development projects in the downtown area and the development of the NW 36th Street corridor. The purpose of this meeting is to ensure that all previous council directives are being completed and to prepare additional recommendations to the council if necessary.
- Meet with developers to determine the interest and challenges in developing the 35th Street Corridor.
- Provide the Council with a plan to update the City’s compensation plan and job descriptions.
- Conduct a team building exercise with the employees.
Dale Martin 30 – 60 – 90 Day Plans
THIRTY DAYS (ASSUME JULY 1 START DATE)
The first thirty days would primarily be dedicated to introducing myself to key community leaders and staff. It is imperative that I establish key working relationships with the Mayor and City Council and key subordinates as quickly as possible: city government provides no opportunity for “spring training.” This effort would include both formal and informal (such as morning coffee on a weekend, dinner invitations to my home, etc.).
I would schedule regular weekly or bi-weekly meetings with City Councilmembers at their convenience (approximately one-to-two hours, if desired). I anticipate that the meetings with the Mayor and City Councl would spawn additional meetings with other highly-regarded i community leaders.
I would introduce myself to local media and look to continue my practice of writing weekly articles as part of my community engagement philosophy.
My tenure would begin in the heart of hurricane season-the preparation for which cannot be underestimated anywhere in Florida. I must imediately become familiar with city and m county emergency management protocols.
From the information provided, I would need to become immediately involved in negotiations to address contracts expiring at the end of the fiscal year.
This initial period must be a productive whirlwind as I seek to establish myself in my new community.
SIXTY DAYS
With the municipal calendar racing forward, I anticipate that critical task of the second
thirty days will be budget preparation. The City budget is the most important policy document and should appropriately reflect the short-term and long-term City Council and community priorities. I will be engrossed in familiarizing myself with the preparation process- although every community has an annual budget, the established practices and procedures on how to develop the budget vary greatly. During my first year, I will need to learn and grasp the local process before subsequently evaluating the strengths and weaknesses for future budget development.
Relationship building will continue, not only during my transition period, but throughout my tenure in Miami Springs.
NINETY DAYS
The first focus of this period will be the completion and the adoption of the Fiscal Year 2023-24 annual budget. Once completed, the excitement of the first ninety days can transition to the enthusiasm for the foreseeable future.
As part of the fiscal year-end, I would meet individually with my “direct reports” (senior staff) to review and develop goals for the new fiscal year. These goals would be collaboratively crafted and be used to evaluate job performance at the conclusion of the next fiscal year. I will take this time to learn in more detail the goals and obstales each of them have as part of their c duties and responsibilities.
I would set a regular monthly day to work with the junior staff of each department.
With the start of the school year, I would like to request participation at a Miami Springs High School Spanish class (perhaps two-to-three periods weekly) to re-familiarize myself with the language. Throughout my junior and senior high schools years, I had several years of Spanish instruction, but that was forty years ago. I do not want my language shortcoming to become a barrier to effective community leadership. This could also be a wonderful opportunity to engage community youth and introduce municipal government to students.
At this point, I would like to begin to truly become part of the community: enjoying community life, exploring the region, joining a church, re-establishing my hobbies, developing new interests, making new friends, and introducing my new community to my family.
Of course, all of these transition plans are subject to change. That is my wonderment and passion for local government-every day is a new day with new and different people, reflecting an opportunity to enhance the quality of life for so many people. At times, my chosen profession can be frustrating and maddening (never, however, let that show publicly), but it is always rewarding. I look forward to serving the leaders, staff, and residents of Miami Springs for a long time.
Tammy Romero 30 – 60 – 90 Day Plans
THIRTY DAYS
- Invite citizens to visit their new City Manager
- Ask “What do you expect from me?
- Build trust with the Directors and ensure a smooth transitional process
- Ask “What do you expect from me?
- Meet one-on-one with each Council member Add a second meeting to include department heads, if needed to set goals
- Ask “What do you expect from me?
- Discuss anticipated actions with current Manager, as long as he is available
- Review files, including those left on computer and become familiar with them, if I haven’t already done so
- Review budget and identify gaps
- Set realistic timeframes
- Continue with supervising major projects along with their funding
- Prepare for FY2023-24 budget planning
- Provide leadership
- Continue to build city council relationship on trust and integrity
- Hit the ground running in my first 90 days prioritized actions on several long-standing Council priorities
- continue to be full of energy, and remain optimist
SIXTY DAYS
- Promote an “Open Door” policy and invite Citizenry input
- Communicate overall Vision and ask for input on actions to be taken
- Plan and/or make changes for the needs of the department
- Provide the resources and tools required
- Discuss the need for infrastructure improvements, if needed
- Seek input on how to improve on performance and/or deficiencies within the department
- Develop long-term goals and Master Plans
- Gain a greater awareness of project
- Initiative goals and gather information by seeking input from others:
- businesses, residents or Consultants to align with the goals of Council
- Provide feedback in order to meet these goals Keep open communication
- Establish good, effective working relationships with open communication
- Budget planning
NINETY DAYS
- Continual improve on open, transparent communication via: Facebook, lnstagram,
Twitter, City website and newsletter - Speak with Council and execute a plan, if any ideas differ from those presented by
Council - Meet biweekly, (or more often if needed) with departments to prioritize and
assign deadlines to realistic goals and realign, as needed- Ensure accountability
- Provide expectations moving forward once priorities are established
- Meet as small group or one-on-one meetings with departments to align and carry out the visions of council
- Realign budgets, and services to improve on these goals and priorities
- Action items (may need agenda items- approval by Council) and adjust, if needed, in order to make reasonable goals
- Revisit initial 30- and 60-day goals to verify whether or not I am on track, and
adjust, as needed - Review and adjust the budget
- Begin replacing any tools you identified earlier is ineffective
- Begin replacing any processes you identified earlier are ineffective
- Continue to hold meetings biweekly
- Ensure that the departments continue to work towards their current goals
Chris Russo 30 – 60 – 90 Day Plans
My first 30-days actually started when I first travelled to Miami Springs a few years ago for a great classic car show put on by Jack Corssino.
My plan begins and ends for me with listening and learning from the City Council first, and then department heads, employees, various shareholders and residents in the City. This will occur during the first 30 to 60 days, and probably beyond. I view this process as a mutual one, my getting to know you and you’re getting to know me and my management style. My door is always open.
Also, in any municipality I begin with understanding the finances of the City. In today’s world, I think it also important to understand the challenges faced by the Police Department, especially during the pandemic, although I learned some of this while listening to past Council meetings. Finally, I would spend time getting familiar with the staff. This is critical to begin to foster a culture of respect and high morale. Included in this item, I will also want to spend a little time with the City Attorney so I am familiar with any of the issues with which legal is handling.
I want to become educated on the Strategic Plan discussion, the City’s infrastructure, and all other operating systems. Ultimately, I will become familiar with the depth of the Planning and Zoning matters, City Parks and Recreation programs, and how these services are provided to, and are received by, the residents. Some people look at Recreation programs as second, or third priority, but in my experience, they are very important, especially for the children and Seniors. Many of these programs become part of the very tradition of the City and how residents feel about the City.
At the end of the 90-days I’m still going to be learning. I expect to be circling back to the Mayor and Councilmembers from time to time, in order to bring them up to speed by letting them know what I’m learning. I don’t expect, during this time, to be making major decisions or making corrections or changes, unless there is an obvious need for action, such as an emergency, personnel claim, or a legal action.
