And then there were four …

Fernandina Beach schedules interviews with 4 of 6 top applicants for City Clerk position on Monday, January 13

Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm

Reporter – News Analyst

A day after selecting their top 6 applicants for the City Clerk position, the Fernandina Beach City Commission (FBCC) discovered that only 4 of those selected were still interested in the position.  At the January 7, 2014 Regular City Commission Meeting, City Manager Joe Gerrity presented commissioners with the January 13 interview schedule.

Individual interviews with commissioners will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.  After a lunch break, panel interviews with the FBCC will be conducted in City Hall Commission Chambers from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Following the interviews, the commission will deliberate in an open session and determine their next step in the process.

Those to be interviewed include:

• Caroline Best, Fernandina Beach.  Current position:  Legal Assistant
• *Kimberly Gay, Lake Wales, FL.  Current position:  Town Clerk/CFO, Town of Lake Hamilton, FL*
• Teresa Bolden, Valdosta, GA.  Current position:  Executive Secretary/Town Clerk
• Charmagne Manning, Alachua, FL.  Current position:  Assistant Deputy City Clerk

The applicant who had been ranked highest by the commissioners– Jennifer Fortin (SE Palm Bay, FL) withdrew from consideration.  At the time she applied last year she held the position of Deputy Town Clerk, Town of Indialantic.  Since then she has relocated to Raleigh, NC and is no longer interested in the Fernandina Beach position.  Also withdrawing from consideration was Melanie Bowers (Fernandina Beach) who had been employed as Deputy Internal Auditor, Nassau Clerk of Courts when she applied for the position.  She has since moved on to a new position outside government and was no longer interested in the Fernandina Beach job.  The only local applicant remaining in the pool of candidates to be interviewed Monday is Caroline Best, who serves as a Legal Assistant to the Fernandina Beach City Attorney.

The one-on-one interviews with commissioners are not open to the public.  However, the panel interviews and any subsequent commission discussion will take place in a public forum.

Update:  Kimberly Gay is no longer under consideration.

Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.

January 8, 2014 2:11 p.m.