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Lake City News

Lake City's City Manager Search Continues With Cheese & Crackers – Where’s the Community?

Pt-I: The Adams interview begins in City Hall at 10:30 am

Glen Adams, City Manager candidate, meets and greets
Columbia County Observer

widget-city-manager-storiesLAKE CITY, FL – Last night in City Hall, City Manager Candidate Glen Adams met with the public to introduce himself and answer questions. Lake City, with a population of 12,000, could only summon 10 members from the public to meet this candidate.

Background

City Hall for the city manager candidate meet & greet
The Council Chambers during the meet & greet.

On December 22, 2021, four members of the City Council met and interviewed four candidates. Renee Narloch chose these candidates. Renee Narloch wrote the questions. Other than Councilman Hill, no one asked a question of their own.

After the interviews, the Council chose two finalists. Their choice was not surprising.

Without having Ms. Narloch check the candidate schedules, the Council then picked a date, and it turned out that one candidate could not make it. That date was last night and today.

This morning at 10:3O am, Mr. Glen Adams of Texas will meet with the City Council to answer questions.

Ms. Narloch provided the questions. It is not clear how she came up with the questions. It is known that she speaks with the Mayor and City Councilmen at will. It is not clear how much she uses email.

The City Manager selection process has not been transparent at a time when Lake City needs as much transparency as it can get.

Last Night: a couple of questions for Candidate Adams

During his interview, Mr. Adams made it clear that he had spoken with community members. Who were they?

Your reporter asked, “Who did you speak to?”

Mr. Adams said he spoke with the County Manager and was told the County is waiting for a stable City.

Note: on Thursday morning, the County 5 said it was not waiting for the City. It is moving forward.

Mr. Adams said he spoke with the Chamber of Commerce and the “College.”

Mr. Adams said he spoke with College President Barrett, and they talked about the 1200 apartments planned to be built at the Plum Creek mega-site.

Mr. Adams also said that the County and the City aren’t working well together and that City wasn’t working well with the College, either.

The Blanche

Councilman Jake Hill listens to candidate Gene Adams
Councilman Hill (facing camera) listens to City Manager candidate Adams. The City rejected a suggestion to hold the meet & greet in the Blanche when Mr. Hill and other members of the community said they would not attend there.

Mr. Adams is staying at the Blanche. It is not clear if the room was comped in any way.

Mr. Adams said he reached out to “Dennille.” (Dennille Decker, the public face of the folks that renovated the Blanche).

Mr. Adams said he now understands the relationship between the Blanche people and the City.

Your reporter asked, “What was the relationship?”

Mr. Adams answered that it was a public-private partnership. This is known as a PPP.

There is no contract anywhere that this reporter had been able to locate that mentions a Public-Private Partnership. These partnerships are formalized in contract, with the words "Public-Private Partnership."

Community Activist Sylvester Warren asked, “Who did you reach out to in the Black community?”

Mr. Adams answered, “Phillip Mobley.”

Mr. Warren asked, “That was the only person you could find?”

Salary and Candidate Interviews

Your reporter asked Mr. Adams how much he was making in Santa Fe. That is the town in Texas in which he appeared to be working. There is some question whether or not he is employed there now.

Mr. Adams answered, “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

Your reporter responded, “You’re paid by the taxpayers, right?”

Mr. Adams said, “Go find it.”

Your reporter asked Mr. Adams if he thought the Council should have interviewed both candidates at the same time.

Mr. Adams answered, “It would have been beneficial.”

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