SELLING HIMSELF — Dale Dougherty, center, a top prospect for city manager of Deltona, speaks with people attending the April 12 meet-and-greet at City Hall. The Deltona City Commission subsequently chose Dougherty as its favorite to become Deltona’s next permanent city manager, subject to the mutual approval of a contract for his services.
UPDATE, April 25: More than a week and a half after the City Commission selected Dale Daugherty as Deltona’s next permanent city manager, the talks regarding his employment contract are still under way.
Interim Deltona City Manager Glenn Whitcomb said Daugherty submitted a proposal to Deltona officials, but the terms of the proposal have not been disclosed.
“He still wants to come,” Whitcomb told The Beacon, referring to Daugherty.
No deadline has been set for reaching an agreement on a contract.
Deltona City Attorney Marsha Segal-George and the city’s Human Resources Department are involved in the negotiations.
Original Story: After months — and even years — of discussing the matter and a series of caretaker administrators, the Deltona City Commission April 15 chose whom they hope will be the next permanent city manager.
“We’re not going to find the perfect candidate,” Mayor Santiago Avila Jr. told his colleagues. “I took everybody’s emails into consideration. I prayed about it.”
After a weekend of meeting, interviewing, listening to their constituents, and meditating privately, the commission unanimously settled on Dale “Doc” Dougherty as their choice for Deltona’s top executive post. Dougherty, who is now the city manager of Garden City, Michigan, was chosen from a field of two finalists who visited the city over the weekend.
Three other candidates withdrew late last week before a planned meet-and-greet. At least two landed other career offers, and a third, Putnam County Administrator Terry Suggs, is recovering from a hospital stay for pancreatitis.
“I want to make a motion to select Dale “Doc” Dougherty and have HR [Human Resources] and the [City] Attorney [Marsha Segal-George] negotiate a contract for the new city manager,” City Commissioner Maritza Avila-Vazquez said.
After a short debate about extending the search, the commission voted 7-0 in favor of Dougherty.
Former Lake Worth Beach City Manager Carmen Davis was the other remaining top prospect for the Deltona post.
The starting salary for Dougherty, fringe benefits, and how much he will receive for his moving expenses, are among the points of the contract still being finalized between Deltona and Dougherty. When the contract will be ready for approval by the City Commission and Dougherty is not known.
Deltona has been without a permanent city manager since Jane Shang resigned in January 2020, after the City Commission took a no-confidence vote on her leadership. Shang’s deputy manager, Dr. Marc-Antonie Cooper, ascended to the top, but the commission faulted him for allegedly failing to keep them informed about matters within his duties and for allegedly searching for work elsewhere without informing members.
Shortly before Thanksgiving 2020, the City Commission, in a surprise move, tapped Public Works Director John Peters as acting city manager.
Peters served as acting manager until Sept. 19, 2022, when the commission cut short his notice of resignation. Peters had tendered his resignation to be effective in November, but the City Commission voted to terminate him.
After Peters left, City Attorney Marsha Segal-George served as acting manager until the City Commission hired James Chisholm as interim manager. Chisholm had retired as city manager of Daytona Beach.
Chisholm headed Deltona’s administrative branch until August 2023, when he abruptly resigned. To fill the void in leadership, the commission pulled Glenn Whitcomb from heading the Public Works Department and promoted him to acting manager until a permanent successor takes over the daily operations of the city.
