Dade City has agreed to replace its embattled city manager

After months of critical comments from citizens, business owners, city leaders and former employees, the Dade City Commission agreed this week that it is time to replace Leslie Porter as city manager.

Earlier this year, business owners and residents came to the city commission to make an open plea to stop the revolving door of top city leaders and city employees who clashed with and were let go by Porter.

While city commissioners did not yet have a negotiated separation agreement formalizing the details of that departure, the majority of the commission agreed with a report from their attorney that another option on the table was no longer viable. That idea was to move Porter back into a city finance job, which is where she had been before becoming manager five years ago.

City Attorney Patrick Brackins said that he could not negotiate a deal on that transfer that would get majority support from commissioners, so he recommended that instead they move forward with a separation agreement.

Two weeks earlier, Brackins had presented multiple options on how commissioners could handle their concerns about Porter. At that meeting there was a strong pitch from Commissioner Jim Shive to keep Porter on board, letting her go back to finance.

Shive said that “the timing sucks” letting her go, with multiple department head positions open, the city in a state of unprecedented growth and millions of dollars in important projects pending.

Other council members were concerned about not acting. Mayor Scott Black said at that previous meeting, “we cannot continue with further distractions” and said it was time to move forward so that the city and Porter could “find peace.”

Mayor Pro Tem Normita Woodard said that too much had happened in recent months and “it’s time for us 100 percent to move in another direction.”

At this week’s meeting, Shive again defended Porter, saying that she had been a hard worker and “has given 10 years to the city.” He said she was not guilty of any dishonesty or malfeasance and, despite all the criticism she has faced, has continued to do the job “with grace and professionalism.”

Commission members had other choices to make too so that the attorney could draw up a separation agreement acceptable to Porter and her attorney before bringing it back for a formal vote. City commissioners could have moved forward with looking for an interim city manager, but they did not take that option.

Commissioner Kristin Church said she was concerned about the cost of an interim manager. She also was concerned about how the city would do its search, hoping that Dade City could get some help from professional organizations to find the right pool of candidates. If the city markets and advertises the position correctly, “we can attract some quality applicants to choose from,” Church said.

“We want someone with qualifications who, when we’re talking to them, understands our vision for Dade City, someone who understands Dade City and wants to work for the things that the people of Dade City want,” she said.

“I think it’s time for us to move forward,” Woodard said. She wanted to the new manager to be required to live in the city to help ensure that they understood city issues. That is not currently a requirement and Porter does not live in the city. “I think that is highly important. I think that helps change the narrative,” Woodard said.

Porter did not speak about the criticisms or employee issues this week. But following a March meeting that she did not attend at which the commission discussed replacing her, she defended her record as both manager and staff supervisor.

“I take all personnel actions seriously and weigh the facts before me. My policy is not to speak regarding current or former employees. Personnel records are public records,” she said in a written statement to the Tampa Bay Times. At that time, she invited inspection of the records and what is recorded there about the circumstances of employees who have left the city.

Morale, she said, is subjective, and she did not see it as a widespread issue.