Sanford city manager survives termination vote

Sanford residents say city manager is bad for business

Some city commissioners, business owners and residents are calling for change at the top of city leadership. Norton Bonaparte is the city manager. He's held the job since 2011. This week, Bonaparte survived a vote regarding possible termination.

SANFORD, Fla. - Some city commissioners, business owners and residents are calling for change at the top of city leadership.

The backstory:

Norton Bonaparte is the city manager. He's held the job since 2011. This week, Bonaparte survived a vote regarding possible termination.

The vote came up during Monday's city commission meeting. It was 2-2, so Bonaparte kept his job.

‘I’m tired of the status quo'

What they're saying:

Several public speakers spoke against Bonaparte's handing of city business. One of the speakers was Christina Hollerbach.

Hollerbach is the business advocate who organized a petition calling for a new city manager in Sanford.

"I’m tired of the status quo and we really need to start challenging our system to better serve our community," Hollerbach said.

Among the list of grievances, the petition lists: increasing business closures, "poor infrastructure maintenance and "lack of communication and accountability."

"These things don’t just happen overnight," Hollerbach said. "They take years to pile up to get to this point, so we’re just at that breaking point."

More than 1,000 people signed the petition.

Hollerbach said at Monday's meeting that a little more than half of the signatures are from Sanford residents.

In Monday's meeting, Commissioners Sheena Britton and Claudia Thomas voted to terminate. Commissioner Patrick Austin and Mayor Art Woodruff did not.

Commissioner Kerry Wiggins was not present and did not vote.

"So here we are stuck kicking the can down the road again," Hollerbach said.

Woodruff said there was no reason to fire the city manager.

"Firing the city manager doesn’t really move us forward," Woodruff said. "The things that need to be done are being done."

The role of the city manager is normally one out of the spotlight but it's one of the most important in city government. A city manager is the city's top administrator.

In Sanford, Bonaparte oversees a $376 million budget and 600 city employees.

Woodruff said the city is, and has been, addressing the petitioners' concerns. He also said there is room for improvement.

"We’ve made it very clear to the city manager," Woodruff said. "Communication is something that needs to be fixed, but everything doesn’t happen in a day."

Britton responded to our interview request with a written statement."I’ve shared all I intend to say regarding the City Manager’s termination vote during the public commission meeting," Britton wrote.

"The Commission has made its decision, and my focus now is on moving forward toward a brighter, more unified future for the City of Sanford."

Britton also said it was suggested to her she stop speaking publicly about the city manager.

"Our legal counsel has advised that continuing to discuss this matter publicly could create the perception of a hostile work environment for the City Manager," Britton wrote.

"I take that guidance seriously, and I am not willing to jeopardize my seat or my responsibility to represent the people’s voice by crossing ethical lines."

The city manager did not respond to our request for comment.

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