Deltona, FL - Deltona Mayor Heidi Herzberg, Commissioners Loren King, and Anita Bradford and Vice Mayor Victor Ramos voted to terminate City Manager Jane Shang during their regular meeting earlier this week. The Mayor made the motion for the firing.
The termination motion failed because a supermajority of five-two is required. Herzberg then made a motion for a vote of no confidence for the city manager, which passed. She said that there's a serious lack of communication coming from the city manager's office and quoted from the evaluation requirements. "The City Manager will ensure the City commission is informed about issues that have an impact on major policy areas, may attract media or public attention or affect major stakeholders. I don't feel that's happening."
Herzberg said she has heard from a number of staff members about the toxic atmosphere that perpetuates this city among staff. "It's very troubling to me to hear that from not one staff member, not two staff members, not one director, not two directors." She said some employees have already left and she's afraid that more will do if things don't change.
The meeting ended with Herzberg asking Commissioners to look at better ways to retain staff - to look at the ways they are compensated and the ways they are evaluated. "Right now, it's an employee marketplace. They can go wherever they want. They stay here because they like the city and they believe in what they do. But slowly but surely, that's waning."
