- April 26, 2024
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The Flagler Beach City Commission has unanimously selected a new interim city manager.
Former DeLand city manager and educator Mike Abels is set to start the position on March 1. The two other candidates dropped out ahead of the Feb. 23 selection meeting, but Abels’ experience had already impressed commissioners.
“He was the one I was going to pick anyway,” Commissioner Jane Mealy told the Observer. “I think he’d be perfect for it. I think he’ll be great.”
The commission hired Abels at the former city manager's salary of $127,000, but also monetized several fringe benefits that Abels said he did not need — health insurance, disability and life insurance among them.
The commission authorized Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston to sign Abels' contract and finalize any minor changes on its behalf instead of delaying the vote.
Abels, who has a doctorate in public administration, has spent his career in city administrations and later worked as an educator from 2008 until he retired. He served as city manager of DeLand for almost ten years.
Abels worked with Flagler Beach in 2022 to help with its strategic planning process. He said from he learned a lot about the challenges the city will face in the coming years.
"I'm fascinated with the governing structure that you have and the planning that you've done," Abels said at the meeting.
Despite his interest, Abels has a firm deadline: He said will only be able to stay on until September, no more.
“I’m only doing this as a public service to the city,” he told the Observer. “I have no interest in being manager.”
Abels will also need to be out for two weeks at the end of March into April because a family member will be dealing with some medical issues.
Flagler Beach resident Scott Spradley — who is campaigning for one of the two commission seats up for election — said he thinks the strict timeline will keep the commission on schedule. He said Abels checks all of his boxes for the position.
"Every day that the city does not have an interim city manager delays the beginning of the search for city managers,” Spradley said.
Commissioner Deborah Phillips told the Observer she is going to recommend that the board hire a headhunter for the city manager position after the new board is established.
Most of her fellow commissioners agreed with her: Commissioners Ken Bryan, Eric Cooley and Mealy all told the Observer ahead of the meeting that a headhunter would be necessary.
In the meantime, Phillips said, Abels will have to hit the ground running and get staff to support him.
For Cooley, the other two candidates' decision to drop out was not a surprise.
Cooley said he had received calls about firings and unfavorable press about the other candidates, but nothing about Abels.
“There’s literally nothing negative about the guy anywhere,” he said. “And I’ve looked.”
Cooley and Bryan asked Abels to agree to at least stay on until a city manager is found, or consider extending his six months, but Abels was firm on his deadline.
Abels said he thinks six months will be enough to time to find a city manager, but the commission must start work right away.
After the death of previous City Manager Larry Newsom, it took Flagler Beach almost a year to settle on William Whitson as city manager, with Flagler Beach Chief Building Official Rick McFadden stepping in as the interim.
Abels told the Observer that using professional headhunters to find a city manager would be an investment in the city’s future.
“To not spend that money will leave the city in a position where it might not be able to find the right person to take [the city] into the future," Abels said.
