Robert J. Daniels came to Madeira Beach in early July on a temporary assignment. His role as “interim” City Manager was to keep government operations running smoothly while the Board of Commissioners negotiated with James Drumm, to become the permanent City Manager. On Tuesday night at the City Commission meeting, that changed when Mayor Maggi Black, unbeknownst to the rest of the board, staff and the public, sought consensus from her fellow board members to offer Daniels the position permanently.
One by one, each commissioner offered commentary on their observations and experiences of working with Mr. Daniels over the past weeks. Each recognized his ability to hit the ground running, focus on short and long-term priorities, and create relationships with staff, the public, and
commissioners. The Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to begin negotiations with Mr. Daniels immediately.
Mr. Daniels was gracious in his accepting the position and pointed out that there is plenty of work to do. “It’s teamwork and communication between the staff, the commission, and the residents,” said Daniels. “We’re all going to have challenges to get through, but the key is to work on them together. We’re not perfect, but I think if we all work together its amazing what you can do when you’re unified.”
Information courtesy of the City of Madeira Beach.