Bradenton taps Rob Perry, a leader with big-city experience, as next city administrator
Starting Monday, Rob Perry will put his big-city expertise to the task of bringing the city of Bradenton “to the next level.”
Perry, who was recently hired to replace Carl Callahan as city administrator, has decades of experience running much larger government organizations than Bradenton’s. In an interview with the Bradenton Herald, he said a selective job search helped him realize that a smaller town would be a better opportunity to take advantage of his skill set.
With a resume that includes tenure as New Mexico’s secretary of corrections and the chief administrative officer in Albuquerque, N.M., Perry described an interest in a government role that isn’t focused solely on keeping an operation running but one with enough breathing room to improve the organization.
“In a large city, you can’t effectuate change as much because there’s so much politics. The sphere of ability to contribute is limited in administrative functions,” Perry said. “Your job is just to make sure the trains run on time, not to take it to the next level.”
In Albuquerque, Perry, 61, led more than 5,800 employees in a city with a population of 560,000 people. In Bradenton, which is roughly 10 times smaller than Albuquerque, he hopes to use the small-town feel to foster tight-knit relationships to help figure out what residents actually want.
“I think Bradenton is a community where city hall is closer in touch with the citizens. I think that’s a blessing and opportunity, but it’s also a challenge,” said Perry. “The challenging part of that is to make sure people are in the know and understand that we’re trying to make policy decisions that benefit everybody.”
.jpg "Fire station (1).jpg")
Callahan retired from his post as city administrator at the end of June. He left the job after spending nearly 30 years working with Bradenton. After serving many years as city clerk & treasurer, Callahan was named administrator in 2015.
The city administrator’s job is to handle the city’s general business and day-to-day operations. The administrator also oversees Bradenton’s planning, public works, fire and city clerk & treasury departments.
City Council members were unanimous in their decision to name Perry their next administrator. Three other finalists were considered for the position, but Perry’s experience as a lawyer and managing complicated budgets for large organizations won the council over.
“Rob checks all of the boxes, but I could work with any of the four,” Councilwoman Pam Coachman said during a June 25 meeting before the council voted to begin negotiating with Perry.
“We’re excited for him to come on board,” Mayor Gene Brown said in a recent interview with the Bradenton Herald. “Among the four, I think they all could’ve done the job, but with his experience overseeing nearly 6,000 employees, he has a crucial part of it with the experience.”
“With his knowledge, it’s the perfect fit for Bradenton,” Brown added.
The city gave Perry an unofficial welcome during Wednesday’s meeting, giving the new administrator a chance to meet with department heads and other city leaders. After the meeting, Perry joined Brown on a tour of some city operations that take place outside of city hall.
Allegations against Perry in Albuquerque
Over the course of his career, a number of allegations have been made against Perry. In 2016, a fired records custodian filed a lawsuit that accused Perry and other Albuquerque officials of ordering him to deny, destroy and delay documents related to public records requests.
Perry also came under fire in 2012 when he appeared at the scene of an active death investigation and allegedly ordered police to hand over the dead person’s computer, according to a lawsuit filed against the city. The Albuquerque Journal reported that New Mexico Attorney General Gary King blasted the police investigation, calling it “terribly mishandled.”
Judges dismissed both lawsuits, including the allegations against Perry.
“When you look at my record of ethics in government, I’ve never been involved in any personal scandal. I’ve never disrespected anyone or engaged in misconduct,” Perry said when asked about past complaints. “As far as the allegations, I think they’re fairly minimal for a person who has been in those positions as long as I have been. In any community, large or small, there are people who have their own interests and agendas.”
Councilwoman Jayne Kocher said she was aware of the prior lawsuits against Perry but his experience and character won her over during the candidate interviews.
“When you look at people on paper or based on what you see in a Google search, you don’t always know the person,” Kocher said. “That was a little bit of a cloud, but I was completely dissuaded of that in talking with him.”
Perry focused on team-building and execution
Perry began his career as a prosecutor with the State Attorney’s Office in Pinellas and Pasco counties before moving out to New Mexico, where he held several different positions as a prosecutor and an administrator. He also has two law degrees and is pursuing a master’s degree in business administration.
As he settles into the job, Perry will also be tasked with streamlining the city’s organizational chart, a process that Callahan and the council decided would be better left to the new hire. According to Perry, his main focus will be helping city officials execute their vision for the city.
“Bradenton isn’t hiring somebody who used to be an assistant city manager in a town of 30,000. I’ve had the experience of seeing how to do things. My leadership skills to do team-building are my strength,” said Perry. “I like letting leaders in the community and leaders in government come together to solve their own priorities.”
This story was originally published July 16, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
