Submitted by Susan Hardee Steger
February 27, 2015 2:28 p.m.
According to the Palatka Daily News, Palatka’s City Commission on Thursday voted 5 – 0 to terminate City Manager Michael Czymbor as city manager. Czymbor served as city manager of Fernandina Beach for five years prior to accepting the position in Palatka, Florida.
Mayor Terrill Hill who made the motion to terminate Cymbor’s employment said, “I think we need to go in a different direction. I’m not trying to say that you’ve done anything wrong. But I’m saying it is time to change . . . my motion is to change our leadership and the direction our city is going.”
“Surprisingly and unexpectedly the City Commission in an emergency fashion voted to terminate my employment contract with the City as it’s City Manager. The staff, present and previous elected officials have much to be proud about and the accomplishments to improve the quality of life in the community over the past 2.5 years,” says Czymbor in an email received by the Fernandina Observer. “I will truly miss the dedicated City staff as they work tirelessly to provide quality public services on a daily basis. I hope and believe that I am leaving the City in a better place then what I found it.”
If I were Mr. Czymbor, I would look for another line of Employment. City manager’s not working out to well for him.
I feel sorry for Michael, he was a hard working city manager. Best wishes to him.
As we here in Fernandina see that job is a tough, un-appreciated and city managers need the support of its citizens and understand what the job requires.
Being a City Manager, having personally looked at the resumes of several dozen of them, on the whole is not one of permanence. It is a career where your position is contingent upon the elected officials’ whims. City Commissioners who change, in part, every two or three years. For more than two decades Fernandina Beach was known as the City with a revolving door on the City Manager’s office. With no City Manager lasting more than one or two years until Mike Czymbor was hired. He lasted through three City Commissions over a six year period. Which says a lot about his abilities. Being a neighbor, I saw how early he went into the office during the week. And how on a regular basis he went in for a few hours on Sunday mornings. I am proud to call Mike a friend.
Mac Morriss, well said.
Mac & John I guess what your saying is, It’s more a commentary on this Cities form of Governance. You would think that it would be beneficial to us to have continuity in that position. I’ve only lived on the Island 3.5 years but have seen the direction of our City Hall swing 360 degrees then back again. In most of the Cities that I’ve lived in, that had a City Manager. Some had Mayors, Some not. The City Manager was a stabilizing force, mostly above Politics. He Managed the Cities, every day needs. Some were retired, after years of service. They obviously did not serve at the will of the legislators of the Particular community. How can we, in this City make a change in policy to keep the City Managers position above politics? I would think it would be a big win for all of our citizens.
I think the average tenure of a City Manager is just a little over 4 years. The fact that the City Manager serves at the pleasure of the Commission makes it virtually impossible to remove the politics from the job. It seems the more complex the City, the shorter the tenure as there are more things to get people upset about. Michael is a good and strong administrator and I am personally saddened by this news. But I know Mike and his family will rebound quickly.
It’s a thankless job that pays well, but is short-lived anywhere. Best wishes for Michael.
Isn’t there some way to insulate the position of City Manager from the whims of our Commissioners? I remember a couple years ago, when the Commission took a hard turn to the right. Remember all the talk was,” This Forward Fernandina, it’s all the fault of Mike Czymbor he’s to liberal” Wasn’t he just doing his job by following the directions of the Commissioners? What about a super majority vote needed to terminate a City Managers employment? Here has to be a fix. Towns just don’t go through City Managers this quick. Someone needs to” tend the store”.
I wish Michael could have survived the new incoming commissioners, he was and still would be a asset to this city. It is evident that many of us approved of his work and his dedication to the job. Yes, it too bad it becomes political, and the ones who don’t know or understand what it takes to be a good manager, dealing with the changing Commission every few years, and the public lack of knowing what is a good administrator. Mike has all the qualifications – wish him well, we miss him.
I wish Michael well and apologize for the classless way he has been treated by Mayor Hill and those who voted to dismiss his employment. Palatka should be ashamed.
I found working in Fernandina was a game of egos and wits – the retirees who made their money elsewhere need something to do they get on a BOARD – like the Nassau Humane Society of Take Stock in Children Mentoring Program and run people into the ground with their EGOS – they are less capable with no credentials riding a power trip of. City Manager jobs – right in the same genre, IN and OUT. WHO NEEDS IT?