FORT PIERCE – City Manager Richard Chess received unanimous kudos from Fort Pierce commissioners Monday for “hitting it out of the park” on his December recommendation to hire Police Chief David Smith.
But several members want to see Chess turn up the heat on revamping employee ethics, the city’s purchasing department, improving employee morale and his own accessibility.
After meeting with employees across city departments last week, Commissioner Michael Broderick claimed worker morale “is at the lowest ebb I’ve ever seen,” except at the police department where “the rank and file are over the top” since the hiring of Smith.
Meanwhile, commissioners lauded the job done by City Clerk Linda Cox and her office, praising professionalism, response to public record requests and ongoing training.
Broderick claimed the city commission shares some responsibility for overall low city staff morale and said Chess has the skills to “fix the woes of this city.”
Broderick wants faster change, calling on Chess to “tip city hall on its edge and shake things up.”
He also praised the city executive for his response to the recent South Hutchinson Island beach erosion.
Issues in the purchasing department and writing and evaluating requests for proposals for everything from leases to city purchases are also under commissioners’ microscopes.
Mayor Linda Hudson said purchasing must assure high ethical standards in the public sector and Broderick called current practices “a disaster.”
Design and award of some city bids has led to criminal charges against a former city manager, an ethics violation by a city planner, and underperformed work by some bid winners and lack of compliance by others that have cost city taxpayers money.
Commissioner Arnold Gaines urged Chess to “find more time to talk with the community” and to create an internal environment where city employees “feel safe that they can tell you things that are going on.”
Commissioners Chris Dzadovsky and Curtis Johnson Jr. urged Chess to explore new avenues to address city trash disposal issues, including the possibility of contracting with private interests.
Officials are unanimously concerned about how a state vote to roll back Florida’s local property tax revenues will impact Fort Pierce.
Chess said he’s asking each city department to propose spending cuts to match potential revenue losses and he’s already pursuing purchasing department changes.
“I’m not a screamer,” Chess said about his leadership style.
Broderick said recent tension between the three independent charter employees wasn’t “a performance issue, but a charter issue.”
“We’ve already lost one charter officer and I fear another is coming,” said Broderick, referring to Monday’s contract non-renewal for City Attorney Sara Hedges, but not naming whether the next loss could be Chess or Cox.
For her part, Cox said, “I love my job and I absolutely love serving this city. Mr. Chess and I have a great working relationship.”