After narrowing down the pool of applicants to five candidates, officials have begun the interview process for the position of city clerk, with the first in-person interview scheduled for 11 a.m. July 14.
Rebecca Haynes, Jamie Anderson, Kathleen Sotero, LeAnne Addy and Kerri Miller, vetted by Mayor Dan Murphy and city staff, are considered suitable candidates for the position because they all are designated certified municipal clerks.
The candidates are mostly Floridians, but one applicant — Addy, who will receive a phone interview — hails from Minnesota. Addy is a city clerk in Hudson, Wisconsin. The other candidates range in location from Longboat Key, where Anderson lives, to Sanford, where Kathleen Sotera serves as deputy clerk.
Anderson previously worked as city clerk in Bradenton Beach, but was dismissed in April 2014 after a commission claimed Johnson purchased computer software without approval. However, the mayor maintained the purchases were part of a budgeted expense.
Sotero works as an executive assistant for the city of Maitland. Haynes works as city clerk for St. Pete Beach and Miller works as city clerk for Plant City.
Following the interviews, currently scheduled July 14-20, Mayor Murphy will present his recommendation July 21 to the city commission. “I know next to nothing about the applicants (right now),” Murphy said July 6, prior to the candidate interviews. “I’m trying to keep myself as unbiased as possible.”
“They all seem like very good candidates,” said city clerk Diana Percycoe, who added that three of the candidates had experience working in small towns, a plus for an Anna Maria clerk.
Percycoe will retire Sept. 30. Murphy plans on making a final decision following the July 21 city commission meeting.
The new city clerk will begin work sometime in August, depending on availability. The position, which is full-time, will pay a salary of $55,000-$75,000 depending on qualifications.
Interviews will be open to the public.
Currently, Miller’s interview is scheduled for 11 a.m. July 14, followed by Haynes at 1 p.m. and Anderson at 2 p.m. Sotera is scheduled to interview at 1 p.m. July 18, and Addy is scheduled to interview 6 p.m. July 20. The most updated schedule is on Anna Maria’s website at www.cityofannamaria.com.