- December 15, 2025
With the hiring of Mike McGlothlin as the next city manager of Palm Coast, Lauren Johnston will transition back to being assistant city manager. As a member of city staff for the past 17 years, Johnston has worked in Parks and Recreation, then chief of staff, then assistant city manager, and, since March 2024, as acting city manager. She and Communications Director Brittany Kershaw met with the Palm Coast Observer on Dec. 12. What follows is an edited transcript of the interview.
This is going to be your final City Council meeting as acting city manager. What's the best and worst part of that change?
Johnston: The best part is we're adding another person to the team and we're all excited for that. It's wonderful to have somebody come in with fresh perspective. I'm the person that is: "Upset status quo." There's always ways that we can do things better and ways to improve.
The worst part of it: While my time in the role has definitely had its challenging times and some people being not so nice, I felt like I was really making a difference. And not that I'm not making a difference in my secondary role, but I guess that's a little bit hard.
What's one thing you learned about city staff while you have been acting city manager?
Johnston: They're resilient. They're adaptable to change, but change is hard and they count on you to be their advocate, or their spokesperson. And being the spokesperson for 600 plus employees, that's a lot of pressure.
But at the end of the day, I'm one of those employees, and I'm making sure that I'm advocating for what's best.
What's something you learned about yourself?
Johnston: I'm stronger than I think. I definitely had moments where I was ready to throw the towel in, and I didn't.
Brittany, what's one thing you learned about Lauren in the past couple years?
Kershaw: I don't think there's anything that she can't learn. In her previous roles as chief of staff and as assistant city manager, I think that she oversaw a lot, but since she's been in this role, she's had to really understanding how our entire utility system works, understanding how development works and property rights and land use and all of these things.
She's like a sponge, and she can just absorb anything and retain it and communicate it out in a way that's understandable on the fly. I don't think many people have that quality.
What is Lauren's leadership style?
Kershaw: I think it is um oh how can I phrase it? She has a way of leading by bringing you into her vision. So she is not the type of leader who will demand action, but she's somebody who can help you see her vision and get you on board with it so that you are ready to execute with her.
What do you hope to make the biggest impact on as assistant city manager in the next year or so?
Johnston: There's only one of me, but I've been doing multiple things. Things have fallen through the cracks or I haven't been able to spend enough time on it, whether it's strategizing on a particular project — or even just customer service and how we can improve incrementally there. I don't get to spend any time on that, or accountability, or those things that our executive team done. Just to be able to slow down a little bit, take one thing, dissect it and solve it all the way through, when it's not haphazard or rushed. I think it's going to make us better.
