Lakeland City Manager Search Narrowed to Three Finalists
LAKELAND, FL (October 9, 2020) | The Lakeland City Commission narrowed the list of City Manager candidates to three finalists during a meeting on October 9th. The search firm GovHR lead by Heidi Voorees originally provided a list of 16 candidates recommended for further consideration in the hiring process. The Commission then narrowed that list to six candidates that eventually turned into four semi-finalist candidates after Edward Phillips and Michael Moore bot dropped out after accepting positions elsewhere.
The City Commission named the following three finalists to participate at the next level of the hiring process after each candidate was interviewed in a one-hour video conferencing session.
- Natasha Hampton, Assistant City Manager for Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Ty Kovach, Executive Director for Lake County Forest Preserve, Libertyville, Illinois
- Shawn Sherrouse, Interim City Manager for the City of Lakeland
The three finalists have been invited to interview in person. There will be a meet and greet at the brand new Lake Crago Outdoor Recreation Complex (525 Lake Crago Drive) on Monday, October 19th starting at 6 p.m. A number of community stakeholders will be attending this session. The public can also attend this chance to meet each of the final candidates. The meet and greet at Lake Crago will allow each candidate a chance to provide an overview and take questions from those attending the event.
Meet & Greet Schedule
- 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. | Meet and Greet/Mingle with Finalists
- 6:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. | Candidate (TBD) provides 5-minute overview and takes questions from attendees
- 7:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Candidate (TBD) provides 5-minute overview and takes questions from attendees
- 7:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. | Candidate (TBD) provides 5-minute overview and takes questions from attendees
- 8:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. | Meet and Greet/Mingle with Finalists
Each of the candidates will be interviewed by the Lakeland City Commission on Tuesday, October 20th with the Commission making a final decision during a live meeting that will be held in the Lakeland City Commission Chambers (228 South Massachusetts Avenue) tentatively at 12:30 p.m., or approximately 30 minutes following their last interview. This meeting will be aired live on the City’s Government Access Channel available on Spectrum 643, Frontier FiOS 43 and streamed on LakelandGov.net/TV.
The City of Lakeland is now searching for a new City Manager after Tony Delgado retired with 23 years of service. Shawn Sherrouse is currently serving as Interim City Manager during the search process. He is also a finalist for the City Manager position.
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About Lakeland
The City of Lakeland was incorporated in January 1885 and has grown to become one of the largest inland communities in Florida. With a current population of over 100,000, Lakeland continues to grow. It has been designated a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area by the US Census Bureau for over 30 years. With tourist attractions and gulf beaches only an hour away, Lakeland continues to capitalize on its ideal central Florida location along the I-4 corridor. The City owns and operates Lakeland Electric, the third-largest publicly owned utility in Florida and it was one of the first to offer power in the Sunshine State over 110 years ago.
For additional information about the City of Lakeland, please explore lakelandgov.net.
Citizens are also invited to follow the City on social media.