How long have you been an FCCMA member and why did you join?
I have been a member on and off since 1998. In all candor, mostly off. This is because two organizations that I worked for in South Florida did not encourage membership in ICMA/FCCMA. In hindsight, I wish I had maintained my membership throughout my career. I enjoyed and benefited from participation when I was active, especially in the middle and late in my career. The greatest benefit, and generally why I joined, is the professional development webinars and courses. So many times, I’ve been able to go to the ICMA and find insights on current topics.
Please describe your areas of formal/advanced education.
I am fortunate enough to have received my master’s in public administration from the Reuben Askew School of Public Administration and Policy at Florida State University. It consistently ranks in the top five Public Administration programs in the country every year.
I am in contact with the program and get invited each year to speak to the students about the profession and the value of the MPA. I have also been invited to speak to the MPA student organization at the University of South Florida each year and in one of the undergraduate classes at St. Pete College. In the past, while in South Florida, I addressed students in the MPA program at Florida International University.
I love speaking to students and get far more out of each experience than I put in. Every single time, it grounds me and reminds me why I’ve gone into public service.
Why did you select a career in public service?
I have always been drawn to the intrinsic value of serving people through public service. I was an entrepreneur almost right out of undergraduate school. While I liked it, it didn’t feel like a calling. I only felt like I was in the right place when I was working for a government – and a local government at that. Neither my time in the private sector nor my time with the State seemed quite right.
Many of the challenges and stresses are similar, no matter what route you choose in life. The deep idea of serving something larger than profit, I suppose, is what keeps me in public service. This strikes me as ironic since the two main areas of my public service career – Budgeting and Solid Waste – are very similar to private sector efforts. It is something deeper – and something I run into when discussing the profession with other public servants. We know it is something deep within us.
Please tell us about your current position and give a brief job description if you are not a City Administrator/Manager.
I am the Director of the Pinellas County Office of Management and Budget. We put together the County’s annual operating and capital budgets every year. We provide advice at every level of the organization. We help monitor the finances of the County. And we push for improvement, financially and operationally, with an independent perspective.
Whenever a new topic comes up, my team and I look for the reasons why we should fund something and the reasons why we should not. We often hold competing views in mind as we progress through the budget process in an effort to assist decision-makers and departmental implementors in reaching the best possible conclusions.
What is your favorite part of the job?
My favorite part of the job comes from naturally being a polite contrarian. That is, we all have our different perspectives. I work to hear everyone’s viewpoint and think to the logical end of each. Sometimes, I get to be the only person advocating a certain course of action. I love the iron sharpening iron that comes from these discussions. We all grow through them, and the citizens benefit from the results – usually without ever knowing that the discussions took place.
What are your hobbies/interests?
Having three teenagers in the house takes up most of my time. Family is so important, and balancing that with the demands of work covers the whole of my existence. I do relax by reading, watching movies, and playing video games with my sons. We also love exploring the area, having only moved to the West Coast of Florida a few years ago. There is so much to see and do here.
If you could give one piece of advice to people interested in a career in public service, what would it be?
There is a lot of the profession that is repetitious and detail-oriented. Not everything is exciting on its surface. But everything we do has value. Everything. So, look for that value every day. You will feel those days when you have added to your City or County. You may need to dig into yourself to find the value on days when it isn’t obvious. You can always find the value if you look for it.
Who were your mentors and how have you passed this information down to other aspiring public administrators?
I have been fortunate to have some excellent bosses and mentors over the years. George Burgess and Jennifer Moon taught me a lot in the early years of my career. Daniel Alfonso and Kathleen Woods-Richardson helped in my first years of managing a staff. Merrett and Judy Stierheim gave me excellent advice whenever I needed it and made me clarify my choices in my own mind. Their thought processes helped me get through some difficult decisions and processes. Merrett’s recent passing has affected me and made me reflect on what is most important. Barry Burton, Jill Silverboard, and Kevin Knutson have guided me wonderfully since my transition to Pinellas County.
Independent of those mentioned above, the individual who has helped me grow the most has been Fernando Casamayor. I cannot describe how great a boss and colleague he has been. His alternating encouragement and butt-kickings have served well in moving me forward every moment. Whether I was working alongside him, working for him, or calling him just to talk after our careers took different paths – he has been the best public servant I have ever known.
I strive to be like each of these amazing public servants.
