Bradenton bids farewell to 2 leaders. They’re taking 50 years of experience with them
The city of Bradenton will lose more than 50 years of leadership and experience after the upcoming retirements of two high-level employees.
City Administrator Carl Callahan and City Clerk Sharon Beauchamp are leaving the city after contributing decades of service. In a public farewell at Wednesday’s meeting, city leaders thanked them for their guidance over the years.
“There’s a little bit of a brain drain there,” said Councilman Bill Sanders, referring to the loss of institutional knowledge at City Hall.
“You leave a history at this city that will be unmatched,” added Bradenton Police Chief Melanie Bevan. “You’re taking a lot of tenure with you.”
Callahan, whose last day is Friday, first began working with Bradenton as a city auditor in the early 90s. He later worked as the city clerk for more than 20 years before becoming the administrator in 2015. As administrator, Callahan was tasked with overseeing department heads and putting together Bradenton’s annual budget.
“I’ve enjoyed my time here. I’ve felt like I have grown from a person that came in and didn’t even think I could do the job. I didn’t know what the clerk entailed,” Callahan joked.
In 2017, he also became the economic development director for Bradenton’s Community Redevelopment Agency.
“I’ve been proud of what we accomplished over these years,” Callahan continued. “I’ve always been city-first and I’ve always attempted to lead the city into a better place than it was the day before.”
Beauchamp has an even longer tenure with the city. She began working for the city’s Human Resources department, then known as the personnel department, in 1994. Beauchamp held a number of titles in the clerk’s office before being promoted to city clerk in 2017.
The city clerk is tasked with overseeing many of the city’s public functions, such as records requests, utility billing and publishing meeting agendas.
“It’s a bittersweet day,” Beauchamp said, who retires on July 2 alongside another longtime employee, her husband Dave, Public Work’s assistant director. “I’m excited to get going on my next phase of life, but this has been my second home for 27 years and it’s very hard to leave.”
Mayor Gene Brown spoke highly of both employees ahead of their departure. He said they served as two of his mentors throughout his years at City Hall, especially in the past 6 months as he adjusted to his new role as mayor.
“Thank you for what you’ve done to help me learn more,” he said, referring to Beauchamp’s guidance.
“I believe that you live by example and Carl has always done that,” Brown added.
It’s unclear who will fill Beauchamp’s clerk position after she retires, but city council members are already nearing the end of their search to hire a new city administrator. The board will meet Friday at 9 a.m. to continue discussing finalists for the job.
