Manatee County may force Hopes to leave the school board for acting administrator job
As the last man standing in Manatee County’s search for an interim administrator, Scott Hopes would be willing to give up his seat on the school board to lead county government — as long as commissioners require it.
The Manatee Board of County Commissioners, which expects to make a final decision on April 1, has already expressed a desire to hire Hopes, but some members have voiced concerns about his ability to handle two demanding jobs.
Five commissioners have already said that Hopes is their No. 1 pick for the job, but some members had planned to interview another finalist — Joseph Napoli, city manager of Cooper City in Broward County. According to Kim Stroud, the county’s Human Resources director, Napoli withdrew his name from consideration on Wednesday, clearing the way for Hopes to secure the spot.
In an interview with the Bradenton Herald on Thursday, Hopes said he didn’t want to leave his fellow board members in a tough spot by leaving the school district but acknowledged that the administrator role may require his full attention.
“There are people that would like me to do so, but in the past few months I’ve spent with the board of commissioners, and speaking with directors and looking at challenges, that might be a little bit heavy of a lift,” Hopes said when asked if he planned to remain on the school board.
While the school board only meets twice a month, guiding the county would take much more effort. Hopes touted his ability as a businessman to handle both jobs but noted his preference would be just one of them.
“It’s so significant that we have a lot of catching up to do with regards to stabilizing the employees,” said Hopes. “We’ve lost some good employees here in the county and I hope to be able to stop that and encourage everyone to give this a chance.”
“But when you look at four or five hours a month, that’s basically less time than some people play tennis every month, so as far as capacity to be able to do that, I did not want to be board chair on the school board this year, I didn’t want to be vice-chair, I gave up so liaison positions with various committees because I knew this was coming up,” he added.
School board members question Hopes’ ability to do both jobs
Reached for comment, some of Hopes’ colleagues on the school board questioned the viability of doing both jobs. A dedicated school board member puts in more work than two meetings per month, they said.
“I wish him the best in whichever path he chooses, and he certainly brings an impressive skill set to either position, but I don’t see how it would be possible to do both,” said Charlie Kennedy, the school board’s chairman.
Mary Foreman, the school board’s newest member, said it was unlikely that somebody could juggle both jobs and remain effective.
School board members research a host of topics before their monthly meetings, helping them to make informed decisions. They often appear at community events, one-on-one briefings with the superintendent and meetings of the district’s financial oversight groups.
“It’s more than going to meetings, sitting down, voting and then going home,” Foreman said. “I was astounded by how much time is involved.”
Commissioners say they want ‘full commitment’ from Hopes
The possibility of Hopes holding two titles has also given some commissioners pause. A person with split responsibilities wouldn’t be an efficient administrator, they said. The county administrator is tasked with overseeing the county’s 1,900-employee workforce and implementing policies approved by the Board of County Commissioners.
“I’m not going to support him being on the school board. If he wants to be on both, he’s not taking our job seriously,” said Commissioner Carol Whitmore. “I don’t support him having two jobs.”
“I know he would like to do both, but he can’t. That would put both the school district and the county in a poor position. He won’t do either of them well if his time is split like that. I’m pretty emphatic that he’s got to come to us with his full attention,” added Commissioner Misty Servia, who previously ran for a seat on the school board in 2016.
Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, who first approached Hopes about applying for the county government job, said he also expected Hopes to resign from the school board.
“It’s a big job and it requires a full commitment,” said Van Ostenbridge.
If Hopes is hired, Commissioner George Kruse plans to keep a watchful eye on his performance in both areas. Any sign of decline could cost him his job.
“Any contract needs to give us the right to require him to get off that school board if we determine that’s impacting his full ability. That’s going to have to be in any contract that I see,” Kruse explained.
“Let’s remember, unlike most commissioners who have been on this board a while, I have kids in the school district,” he added. “We want to make sure the school board is looking out for our kids. I want five people on that board who are looking out for the best interest of the kids in this community.”
‘I’m willing to do both,’ Hopes says
Hopes first joined the school board in 2017 when Gov. Rick Scott appointed him to fill a vacancy. He won an election in 2018 to keep his seat and still has about 19 months left in his four-year term. Since joining the school board, however, Hopes has applied for four different jobs.
When asked about those applications to seek outside employment, Hopes explained that he engaged with those jobs only after employers asked him to toss his name into the hat.
“It kind of bothers me when people throw that out there as if I was looking to leave. I mean, I wasn’t looking to leave. I was honoring requests from friends to do that,” Hopes said of his previous forays into the job market.
In the past two years, Hopes applied to become the superintendent of Sarasota County Schools, the president of Santa Fe College and the president of the University of South Florida.
“What’s so exceptional for this opportunity is that it doesn’t require me, by law, to resign from the school board, and I get to stay in the community where I chose to spend the rest of my life. I can contribute it to being the best place to live and raise a family and educate your children and retire and visit.”
Hopes also dispelled any anguish that residents may have about his capacity to remain on the school board while serving as acting county administrator.
“They don’t know me very well,” Hopes said. “For the first year and a half on the school board, I was the CEO of an international company. I wouldn’t be saying this if I hadn’t done it before. Could I do it and be very effective? Absolutely.”
“I’m willing to do both, but in this situation, I’m going to have a new set of bosses — seven to be exact,” he continued. “That’s up to them. I’m going to let the process run through.”
The county commission is expected to discuss a contract with Hopes at its meeting on April 1. Should Hopes leave the school board, Gov. Ron DeSantis would need to appoint a replacement to fill the position throughout the rest of the term, which ends in November 2022.
This story was originally published March 26, 2021 at 2:51 PM.
