- April 18, 2024
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Ormond Beach City Manager Joyce Shanahan was selected as the top choice to become Naples next city manager, with a 5-2 vote during a special Naples City Council meeting on Friday, Sept. 14.
Shanahan was one of five candidates interviewed during the meeting. She and Charlie Chapman, Hendry county administrator, were named the top two choices by the seven-person council. Former Volusia County Manager Jim Dinneen was also among the candidates interviewed, though he received no votes.
“My job is easier when people are engaged, and that includes staff, that includes the residents," Shanahan said during her opening introduction. "That’s my management style, and that’s how I’m comfortable operating.”
Shanahan has been Ormond Beach's city manager for almost a decade. If she accepts the position with Naples, she will be relocating to a job managing a smaller population of around 21,000, according to the 2016 U.S. Census. The position pays more than Ormond, with a salary range of $200,000-$230,000.
Shanahan's current salary is $155,000.
During her interview, Shanahan was asked questions about her experiences as a city manager during a hurricane, her tactics to work with the press and strategic planning for cities. She was also asked a perception question about what vehicle she believes Naples could symbolize and what position she would occupy within it.
Shanahan responded that to her, the city would be like a tandem bicycle, with the City Council taking the lead. Unlike a car, Shanahan said, a bicycle doesn't have any barriers to the outside, and in this example, she said the outside represented the community.
“I think when I’m closest to the community, I have a better chance of understanding what they need and what they want," Shanahan said.
Should she take the job opportunity, the decision will be official come Naples next City Council meeting on Monday, Sept. 17.
