Bradenton staff restructuring underway as focus turns to economic development

After two national searches for a director to head a new economic development department “failed to overwhelm” the Bradenton City Council, city administrator Carl Callahan will move into the role full time.

Callahan, the former city clerk who was named city administrator just a few months ago as his responsibilities increased, will still stay involved in the budget process, but the majority of his former duties will shift to Sharon Beauchamp, who has been Callahan’s assistant for many years. Callahan recommended his replacement on Wednesday and the recommendation received a quick and unanimous approval by the city council.

Callahan said when he took the position as city clerk and treasurer many years ago, “I was qualified, but woefully under prepared. Sharon is far more prepared for this job than I ever was, which comes with a myriad of responsibilities. The finance side of it is just a small piece of the overall responsibility.”

Among her many new duties, Beauchamp will take Callahan’s seat at the dais to run future city council meetings while Callahan takes his new seat as economic development director.

The city has been struggling to move an economic development department forward since it took over the city’s three community redevelopment agencies on Jan. 1, 2016, after months of heated debates with community members who opposed the idea.

Callahan’s transition to economic development director is a stark change from where the city council was just a few months ago when council members criticized the slow pace and that Callahan being economic development director “was not the vision.”

The council changed its mind after the national search failed to produce anyone who could step into what Callahan has already been doing since the elimination of the Bradenton Downtown Development Authority’s executive director position, which had been the point person for economic development in the downtown area.

Callahan’s new role will emphasize economic development citywide, and he will coordinate activities with the city’s three CRAs.

“I’m really excited to give this more of my focus,” Callahan said.

This story was originally published April 12, 2017 at 12:27 PM with the headline "Bradenton staff restructuring underway as focus turns to economic development."