BROOKSVILLE — At the end of a marathon meeting, the Brooksville City Council voted early Tuesday morning to send longtime City Manager Jennene Norman-Vacha packing.
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On a 4-1 vote, council members decided to not renew Norman-Vacha’s contract, which expires in June, and to immediately remove her from all obligations and responsibilities.
They then voted to appoint community development director Bill Geiger to the job of interim city manager. A special council meeting will be scheduled in the coming days to further discuss how to manage the city in the interim and replace the manager.
The vote mirrored a variety of concerns four of the council members had raised in their recent evaluations of Norman-Vacha’s performance, ranging from communications issues to management style. But the council members were reminded by Mayor Robert Battista that the manager serves at the pleasure of the council and steered discussion away from the detailed complaints about Norman-Vacha.
The motion to not renew the contract came from council member Betty Erhard, who at first recommended termination. But council members Natalie Kahler and Joe Bernardini said they could not support termination, so Erhard changed her motion. At Battista’s suggestion, they agreed to ask Norman-Vacha to leave immediately, but she will be paid and receive vacation time she has coming up until her anniversary date in June. Those numbers have not yet been calculated.
Council member Bill Kemerer was the sole vote against the contract nonrenewal. He said he did not understand how council members had given Norman-Vacha high enough scores on her evaluation to indicate that she was meeting their expectations yet wanted to let her go.
After the vote, Norman-Vacha, 53, who has served in the job for nearly 10 years and makes an annual salary of $96,617, declined to make any public statement.
A number of people in the audience — including influential community leaders Jim Kimbrough, Dennis Wilfong and Sonny Vergara and former council members Lara Bradburn and Frankie Burnett — praised the manager’s accomplishments, and several urged the council to reconsider.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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