Top Manatee County officials spar after clerk accuses admin of ‘chaos and confusion’
A high-ranking official set off a chain of combative emails and public statements between Manatee County leaders when she voiced significant concern with the county administrator ahead of Tuesday’s vote to extend his contract.
In a blistering May 20 letter to the Board of County Commissioners, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Angel Colonneso wrote that there has been “chaos and confusion” under County Administrator Scott Hopes.
She accused Hopes of keeping her out of the loop while he directed major changes to county government operations.
Since taking the helm last year, Hopes has reorganized several departments and revamped processes. Commissioners have been supportive of many of those changes, noting that Hopes was hired in an effort to streamline government efficiency.
But those changes haven’t been well received by everyone. Colonneso said certain changes, such as a new timekeeper system for county employees and a new format for the county’s public meeting agendas, were not discussed ahead of time, resulting in “delays and inefficiencies.”
“I have grave concerns on the efficient operation and transparency in government to our citizens,” Colonneso wrote. “Given my observations, these matters and those yet to be discovered, could create a significant cost to the taxpayers that are unquantifiable at this time.”
Officials trade criticism over county funds
Reached for comment Friday afternoon, Hopes declined to comment on Colonneso’s letter.
County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge issued his own forceful defense of the administrator over the weekend, arguing that the clerk’s criticisms are politically motivated. The board member claimed Colonneso was using the letter to distract from recent losses in the county’s investment funds.
“As Chairman of the Manatee County Commission, I will not sit idly by while an elected official abuses the status of her office to attack one of our county employees,” Van Ostenbridge said in a statement issued Saturday. “The clerk’s letter is strategic and politically motivated. Recently, light has been shed on Miss Colonneso’s actions as clerk which resulted in the loss of millions of taxpayer dollars.”
On Sunday, Colonneso shot back with another letter. She scolded Van Ostenbridge and Hopes for not taking the time to review her office’s revised investment policy and pointed to the “unprecedented” economic downturn as the cause of the loss.
After reviewing the market and deciding to cut the losses on $1.5 million, Colonneso explained that she hired a treasury manager position in her office and contracted with an investment advisor. The clerk expects to earn $3 million in interest by the end of the fiscal year.
“She’s admitted to moonlighting as a day trader with billions in Manatee County tax dollars — making huge investment decisions without the input of a certified investment advisor,” Van Ostenbridge wrote Monday. “I humbly suggest she get her own house in order before casting stones.”
Clerk questions administrator’s leadership
In her original letter to the board, Colonneso detailed “repeated troubling events” with Hopes over the past several months. She shared a list of complaints about how Hopes communicates with her office, reorganizes county departments and handles public records requests.
Colonneso also suggested that the county’s public records procedures could be worthy of an independent investigation by the Inspector General.
“The actions of your administrator hinder my constitutional duties as clerk to the board, accountant, auditor and custodian of all county funds,” Colonneso wrote. “Communications, transparency and fiscal responsibility is of the utmost importance, and I cannot underscore enough my concerns regarding the prospect of expending taxpayer dollars and public resources unnecessarily.”
Under Hopes, the county’s fiscal decisions have been questionable, Colonneso said. The clerk said she recently learned that the county purchased a $48,000 Chevy Tahoe that is labeled as a “pool” vehicle for county staff but is exclusively used by Hopes, who already receives a $450 monthly car allowance to pay for his own vehicle.
Colonneso also said it was strange that Hopes asked her office to create a retirement account for Deputy County Administrator Robert Reinshuttle, which would need to be approved by the board first. Hopes also directed a change to surplus assets, which could affect an external audit, she explained.
The clerk has publicly butted heads with the board before. In November 2020, when newly elected commissioners moved to fire then-County Administrator Cheri Coryea, Colonneso rushed from her office in downtown to the Bradenton Area Convention Center in Palmetto to admonish the effort.
First elected in 2016, Colonneso has a wide range of responsibilities in county government. The clerk is tasked with managing the county’s finances, court records and court operations.
Hopes seeking raise, contract extension
Board members are set to hold a public meeting Tuesday morning to consider keeping Hopes employed with the county. Hopes, who previously served on Manatee County’s school board, became the leader of the county’s 2,200-employee workforce in April 2021.
Without any action by the board, Hopes’ employment contract will expire on June 1.
On Tuesday, commissioners will review several changes to that contract, including a 11.2% salary increase from $206,752 to $230,000 and the designation of a county vehicle for work-related travel instead of a $450 monthly car allowance.
If approved, Hopes’ contract would automatically be extended every year unless the board takes action to terminate his employment.
Tuesday’s meeting begins at 9 a.m. at the Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
This story was originally published May 23, 2022 at 12:50 PM.
