THE SUCCESSOR
Insider Kathie Brooks Selected as Beach’s Interim Manager
It wasn’t signaled by white smoke wafting out a chimney, but the end of one era and the commencement of a new one was no less remarkable:
For the Herculean and thankless task of succeeding twelve-year veteran Jorge Gonzalez, the Miami Beach City Commission on Wednesday formally tapped a City Hall insider, Kathie G. Brooks, to become the city’s 20th manager. Their vote was unanimous.
She assumes office as interim manager when Gonzalez’s resignation takes effect July 8.
Brooks, 52, is the current director of the city’s Office of Budget and Performance Improvement. She has served in that capacity for the last eight years. She will return to that role once the Commission hires a permanent manager, expected in late 2012 or early 2013.
Her selection came about as the result of a lightening-round spate of interviews held last Friday in Commission chambers in which she and five other finalists were allotted one hour apiece to represent themselves and answer commissioners’ questions.
The brisk selection process culminated on Monday when much of the Commission agreed to nominate Brooks for the top job.
Other finalists to be the city’s interim manager included
- H. C. “Jack” Eads, Jr., former Coral Gables city manager
- Jose Garcia-Pedrosa, former Miami and Miami Beach city manager (1995-1998)
- Barton S. Goldberg, former president of Jefferson National Bank and chairman of Colonial Bank
- William D. Higginbotham, Jr., former manager of Madeira Beach, Surfside, and Gainesville
- Julio E. Magrisso, Miami Beach Parks and Recreation assistant director
Brooks, in her introductory letter to the Commission, said she was the right candidate for the post-Gonzalez transition because “I care deeply about the future of the city – I joined [city government] for that reason and continue to desire to make a difference.”
She stressed her familiarity with City Hall and “many of the high-level issues that will or may need to be addressed in the interim,” such as the budget, labor negotiations, and pension reform.
“I believe I can provide stability and continuity to the organization until the permanent city manager is selected,” she stated. “I have worked with all of you for many years and I think you know my work ethic, abilities and skills.”
Before coming to work for the city in 2004, she served, for two decades, in an array of positions with Miami-Dade County.
From 2003 to 2004, she served as assistant director of the county’s office of strategic business management, which is responsible for the county’s strategic plan. From 2001 to 2003, she was strategic plan coordinator for the county’s office of performance improvement.
For a decade, from 1991 to 2001, she served as assistant director for finance and planning for the county’s department of solid waste management. From 1989 to 1991, she was the department’s management and budget division chief.
From 1988 to 1989, she was transportation planning and Metromover development manager for the Miami-Dade transit agency. From 1984 to 1987, she was a principal planner and transit research supervisor for the transit agency.
Since 2001, she has been an officer of the Bayshore Visions Group, Inc., co-managing the corporation’s real estate investments on a part-time basis.
She received a Bachelor of Arts in geography in 1978, graduating magna cum laude from the University of Miami. She later received a Master of Arts in geography in 1983, graduating summa cum laude from UM. Her concentration was in transportation and urban economics.
In 2007, she was honored with an Outstanding Strategic Planning Award of Excellence by the American Planning Association for the Beach’s strategic planning process.
In 2006, she was the Performance Institute’s award winner for transparent budgeting.
She was the 2003 Achievement Award winner by the National Association of Counties for her part in that county’s Strategic Planning Initiative.
She is married to Alex Rey, currently the town manager of Miami Lakes. The couple has three sons, Alexander, Javier, and Jonathan.
Brooks: “I Can Have a Positive Impact”
(These are the remarks of Interim City Manager Kathie Brooks to the City Commission on Wednesday, following the vote to approve her selection.)
Madam Mayor, commissioners:
I stated in my interview that I was deeply honored to be one of the candidates selected to be interviewed for the position, so today I am beyond honored. I really thank you.
I know it’s a big trust you’re putting on me. I know that there are challenges that will not make it easy. We talked about some of them in the interview: the need to further the process to eradicate corruption from the city, elevating morale, addressing staff shortages, and making sure that the city’s budget process
doesn’t suffer as a result of my new role. And, in addition, just ensuring the management of the day-to-day activities, the labor negotiations, and moving forward, in general, your priorities.
I realize that there will be personal challenges for me as well. I’m very familiar with city departments but there’s a lot that I need to learn and I will need to reach out to those who know.
One thing I already learned from my interview is that I need to ensure that you all have information accessible to you at the same level and at the same time. But leadership is about taking risks when a situation calls for it and I believe I can have a positive impact on the organization.
As I told you, I see the primary role of the interim city manager as managing the transition process, making sure that the agenda and priorities of the Commission keep going but not forgetting that our day-to-day service to our community – police, fire, parks and recreation – are as important as our priority action items. To that end, we talked about meeting with each of you and having the Committee of the Whole where you can define for me what you see is the things that I need to achieve and what I need to do to make both the city and myself a success.
I obviously need to deal with my position [of budget director]. I need to put somebody in there to help and I need to look within the organization as to who can fill it and for those key positions that we have lost or are losing.
I hope to provide whatever support you desire in the selection process for the permanent city manager and I will be open to input from our residents and the community that I so love.
Those of you who know me know that I will work extremely hard, that I am generally a quick study, I’m very ethical, and I will give it my all to make this transition successful. I mentioned in my interview that through the process – and I will say it again – I have been so surprised and heartened by all of the support that I have gotten from members of the organization, from you as elected officials, from the community especially. I want to thank you all and hope to serve the city for the long term.
Most especially, I have with me today, and I want to say thank you to, my family. My husband – who you all know, Alex Rae – is here today and he is always there to support me in whatever I choose to do. Also, there are my boys, Alexander, Javier, and Jonathan, and I have to say that despite the fact that they know that they will be seeing me less and we talked about it long and hard, they have never hesitated in encouraging me once I decided to apply for the position.
So again I just want to say thank you and to let you know that I will work very hard to make sure that this is a success. Thank you.
Wolfson: Brooks is “Highest Quality”
(These are Commissioner Jonah Wolfson’s remarks Wednesday night following Kathie Brooks’ selection as interim city manager.)
I think that the Commission has spoken very succinctly and clearly that this body is together, that the body is working towards a common goal, and [Kathie Brooks] is the highest quality of people we have in the organization and she’s going to be leading us through the months to come.
We’re with you, we’re supportive of all the good work you do. This place is not crumbling; in fact, it’s being built up. We just heard from a very special person who’s committed, and we all are committed.
WHO WAS THE FIRST WOMAN TO SERVE AS MIAMI BEACH CITY MANAGER
Carla B. Talarico was the city’s first female manager, assuming office as an acting manager on March 1, 1991. She was manager for slightly more than a year, until March 29, 1992. Roger Carlton assumed office as permanent manager the next day.
Kathie Brooks shares a common distinction with her female predecessor: Talarico, like Brooks, served as the city’s budget director before becoming manager, overseeing the 1989 expansion of the Miami Beach Convention Center. Talarico had also served as an assistant city manager for nearly seven years before succeeding to the top job.
As a condition of taking the position, the Commission asked that Talarico agree not to apply for the job permanently.
She succeeded nine-years-long manager Rob Parkins as city manager. Two decades ago, Parkins earned $105,000 a year in the post. Today, the manager is paid an annual $231,000.
Wolfson: Brooks is “Highest Quality”
(These are Commissioner Jonah Wolfson’s remarks Wednesday night following Kathie Brooks’ selection as interim city manager.)
I think that the Commission has spoken very succinctly and clearly that this body is together, that the body is working towards a common goal, and [Kathie Brooks] is the highest quality of people we have in the organization and she’s going to be leading us through the months to come.
We’re with you, we’re supportive of all the good work you do. This place is not crumbling; in fact, it’s being built up. We just heard from a very special person who’s committed, and we all are committed.
HOW MANY INTERIM MANAGERS HAS MIAMI BEACH HAD?
Kathie Brooks becomes only the city’s 7th interim, or acting, manager.
The first, J. C. Duffield, served from January to July 1966. The most recent, Lawrence Levy, served from December 1999 to August 2000, when Jorge Gonzalez took over as permanent manager.
Category: COVER
