10 semifinalists announced for county administrator job

They hail from as far as Ohio and as close as Clearwater; a list of 10 semifinalists for the open Manatee County administrator position has been released.

The 10 semifinalists were narrowed from a list of 102 applicants.

The position is currently held by Ed Hunzeker. He was first appointed Manatee County administrator in November 2006.

In December, county commissioners voted in favor of a national search to find Hunzeker’s successor rather than extending his contract. Hunzeker’s current contract expires Jan. 29.

Administrator’s responsibilities include overseeing the appointment of personnel and supervision of all departmental operations, according to the executive recruitment semifinal report. The role also includes all budget preparation, capital improvement planning and implementation that falls under the authority of the county commissioners.

The 12 departments under the direct supervision of the County Administrator are Building and Development Services, Neighborhood and Community Services, Convention & Visitors Bureau, Financial Management, Human Resources, Information Technology, Parks and Natural Resources, Property Management, Public Safety, Public Works, Redevelopment and Economic Opportunity, and Utilities.

The starting salary is negotiable with a range of $155,708 to $249,142, according to the report.

The 10 semifinalists are:

• Daniel Alfonso, of Miami Lakes, city manager of Miami;
• David Ellis, of Raleigh, N.C., deputy county manager of Wake County Government;
• Scott Hechler, of Weeki Wachee, assistant county administrator and fire chief of Hernando County;
• Mark Lauzier, of Gig Harbor, Wash., assistant city manager of Tacoma;
• Todd Leopold, of Thornton, Colo., former county manager of Adams County, Colo.;
• Scott Miller, of Medina, Ohio, county administrator of Medina County;
• Alyce Robertson of Miami, executive director, Miami Downtown Development Authority;
• Marc Ryan, of Land O’ Lakes, chief strategy and compliance officer for MedHOK Inc.;
• Michael Staffopoulos, of Clearwater, assistant city manager of Largo;
• Randal Vosburg, Lakeland, assistant county administrator, Highlands County Board of County Commissioners.

A full list of the applicants and semi-finalists can be found online.

This story was originally published August 10, 2017 at 6:19 PM with the headline "10 semifinalists announced for county administrator job."