Fort Meade offers Edward Dean a three-year contract as city manager, starting at $130,000

Fort Meade is on the verge of having a city manager whose title does not include “interim” for the first time in nearly a year.

The City Commission voted 4-1 Thursday night to approve a contract offer to Edward Walker Dean, a former city manager of Haines City . The board had voted by the same margin on June 11 to offer Dean the position.

Jaret Williams cast the lone dissenting vote Thursday, as he had on the previous vote to hire Dean. Mayor Petrina McCutchen, Deputy Mayor Samuel Berrien and Commissioners James Watts and James “Possum” Schaill voted in favor of the contract.

Commissioners agreed to offer Dean a three-year contract with a starting salary of $130,000. Dean, who attended Thursday’s meeting and addressed commissioners’ questions, agreed to a start date of July 22 but demurred on a suggestion that he sign a contract on the spot.

Former City Manager Jan Bagnall resigned in August after 2½ years in the position. Three people have held the interim role since then, including the current interim city manager, Dustin Burke . The city’s charter limits interim managers to five months of service.

'Elated': Lake Wales captures $23 million federal grant to move road projects forward

The City Commission, with a different composition, voted in December to offer the job to Pat Oman of Minnesota. But commissioners rescinded that offer in January, citing Oman’s failure to secure a place to live in Fort Meade.

Dean, 51, emerged as one of two finalists among a batch of applicants. During discussions at the June 11 meeting, commissioners also considered elevating Burke to permanent status. Burke has served in the interim role since February.

Williams made a motion to hire Burke at the previous meeting, calling him “very qualified.” Some residents in the audience held signs that read “Keep Burke.” Burke is scheduled to leave his position on July 21.

Haines City hired Dean as city manager in 2022, and the City Commission voted 4-1 to fire him eight months later. Haines City Mayor Anne Huffman had accused Dean of signing contracts without commission approval and of excessive spending on his city credit card .

Before coming to Haines City, Dean served from 2017 to 2020 as city manager of Greenville, a town of fewer than 1,000 residents near Tallahassee. He resigned from that position, The Ledger previously reported.

Dean then worked as a senior strategist and economic development consultant with Edward Walker Dean & Associates, his resume says. In that role, he developed strategic plans for the City of Madison to increase general fund revenue.

Dean’s previous work history includes working as an aide to three elected officials, including Sen. Bill Nelson, from the late 1990s into the early 2000s, according to his resume. He also cites experience as an administrator at Florida A&M University.

Fort Meade has a population of about 5,200.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13 .

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Fort Meade offers Edward Dean a three-year contract as city manager, starting at $130,000