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Fort Lauderdale City Manager Rickelle Williams listens Feb. 3 as the commission debates whether to eliminate the tree-lined median on Las Olas Boulevard. (Mike Stocker\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\nCity managers come and go, but those who keep their bosses happy stay awhile.<\/p>\n
And Tuesday night, it was clear that Rickelle Williams has not done that after just a year on the job as the top boss at Fort Lauderdale City Hall.<\/p>\n
Williams, 40, started off by proudly touting her accomplishments at the start of her job performance review, but soon found herself under fire from three of her five commission bosses.<\/p>\n
The two-hour discussion grew increasingly tense, with her supporters shouting in protest as Mayor Dean Trantalis and Commissioners John Herbst and Steve Glassman critiqued Williams and her first year on the job.<\/p>\n
Trantalis faulted Williams for not sharing key information with the commission. He also accused her of treating some of her subordinates in a dismissive way, including the police and fire chiefs.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve come in here with an imperious attitude,\u201d Trantalis said. \u201cFor that reason, we are now at a crossroads.\u201d<\/p>\n
The mayor also said two staffers left the city manager\u2019s office and took pay cuts to move to other departments, claiming it was \u201cjust to get away from her.\u201d<\/p>\n
When given the chance to respond, Williams defended herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never want to come across as dismissive or imperious,\u201d Williams said. \u201cSometimes a person in my role has to be assertive and has to be a leader. I have done nothing but push this city forward. I ask questions (of my staff). And some questions probably should have been asked many years ago. And I\u2019m now asking them because I want to help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Herbst urged Williams to stop creating new staff positions when the city is potentially facing a string of tight budget years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have some very expensive positions that you\u2019ve created that never existed before,\u201d Herbst told Williams. \u201cYou are building your executive staff with people who make $250,000 a year. And we can\u2019t afford that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Herbst chided Williams for having four assistant city managers when prior city managers got by with two.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are top heavy,\u201d Herbst said. \u201cI\u2019ve been a strong opponent of the growth in the number of departments, the administrative overhead and the expenses. We need to be leaning into the fact that things are going to get tight. Please, please, please, start embracing frugality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fort Lauderdale City Manager Rickelle Williams listens Feb. 3 as the commission debates whether to eliminate the tree-lined median on Las Olas Boulevard. (Mike Stocker\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n
Herbst also shared that he has heard rumblings from the police department\u2019s rank and file about holding a vote of no confidence to show Williams has lost their support.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have talked to the rank and file,\u201d he said. \u201cI can tell you they\u2019re unhappy. The folks that wear the uniform in the police department are not happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commissioner Steve Glassman echoed the refrain.<\/p>\n
\u201cCity manager, you and I have had a lot of conversations,\u201d he told her. \u201cI have not been shy. And you have not been shy. The first bump in the road we had, we went to lunch. We sat for three hours. I\u2019ve heard the same things. We\u2019ve all heard these things. We have to get to a point where everyone feels room to breathe, not beaten on. I can\u2019t change that. You can change that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vice Mayor Ben Sorensen and Commissioner Pamela Beasley-Pittman came to Williams\u2019 defense, heaping praise on the work she has done so far and urging their colleagues to keep her on the job.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m looking at someone who has come in as an outsider and has been able to build relationships and achieve things that have been left unaddressed,\u201d Beasley-Pittman said. \u201cAnd she\u2019s been able to come in and make changes. She\u2019s doing a great job. Yes, there\u2019s room for improvement. But she\u2019s doing the job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beasley-Pittman then accused the mayor of trying to discredit the city manager.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am hoping the direction of this conversation is one where we are going to support our city manager going forward,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is not the time to look for a new city manager. How many city managers have we had in the last 10 years?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sorensen summoned both Fire Chief Stephen Gollan and Police Chief Bill Schultz to the lectern and quizzed them on their relationship with the city manager.<\/p>\n
Gollan said he and Williams had a rough start in the beginning but things have since changed and he now feels supported.<\/p>\n
Schultz said he has regular meetings with Williams.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the beginning she had concerns about crime stats and overtime,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had long talks. And through that time, overtime has improved. And there was a computer reporting issue (with our crime stats). And we did correct it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schultz said he has done his best to steady turmoil within the department and make employees feel welcome, respected, supported.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we are in a very good place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Trantalis and Glassman objected, saying it was naive to expect the chiefs to speak openly and freely about their boss in a public setting.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t expect an employee to respond honestly and objectively,\u201d Trantalis said. \u201cYou can\u2019t expect them to be forthright.\u201d<\/p>\n
Williams told the commission she has a good working relationship with both chiefs and meets regularly with union leaders.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy goal is to continue to progress,\u201d she said. \u201cI spent the first six months just finding where the bodies are buried and addressing issues that have gone unaddressed. I don\u2019t ask anything of my team that I wouldn\u2019t do myself. My team knows how hard I work. And they know that I\u2019m committed.\u201d<\/p>\n
As with all city managers, Williams serves at the will of the commission and can be terminated at any time.<\/p>\n
Her employment contract expires on April 1, 2029.<\/p>\n
If she were terminated before then, the city would be obligated to give 60 days\u2019 notice and provide 20 weeks of severance pay, close to $140,000.<\/p>\n