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Delray commissioners hold off on city manager selection

Delray Beach city manager candidate Oel Wingo answers questions during a public interview for the job Friday afternoon. Wingo, a former Holly Hill city manager and a private management consultant finished third in balloting that took place after the interviews. City Commissioner Al Jacquet, right, listens.

By Palm Beach Business.com

DELRAY BEACH — And the next Delray Beach city manager is ... still to be determined.

City commissioners, meeting in special session Friday, agreed to postpone a decision until Tuesday after deadlocking on two candidates — current Delray Beach Assistant City Manager Doug Smith, and Bloomfield, Conn., Town Manager Louie Chapman. Commissioners conducted public interviews of the two Friday morning. Two other candidates, Paul White, the community development officer in Riviera Beach and former Holly Hill city manager Oel Wingo.

After four ballots, Smith had 3 votes to Chapman's 2, but commissioners preferred to have at least a supermajority in favor of one of the candidates before authorizing City Attorney Brian Shutt to negotiate terms of a contract.

It basically came down to Chapman, bringing the fresh eyes of an outsider to the city, favored by commissioners Al Jacquet and Angeleta Gray, versus Smith's knowledge of the city where he's worked since 2005, favored by Mayor Woodie McDuffie.

McDuffie said all four candidates were "outstanding," but he said the institutional memory that Smith has would be particularly considering the turnover in leadership the city will go through beginning with the new year.

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