Time to Restart the Marco Island City Manager Search

Moments after former City Manager McNees resigned last November, Councilor Champagne immediately moved to appoint Assistant City Manager Dr. Lucius as permanent city manager.  To her credit, Dr. Lucius is a qualified candidate who declined the appointment and insisted on competing for the position.  Former Chair Brechnitz wisely cautioned against making the process appear predetermined and shared that past professional searches produced five highly qualified finalists with deep municipal experience.  

This time, a public search was conducted internally, spending only $847.50 on LinkedIn postings and similar sites.  The results speak for themselves: at least four councilors stated their disappointment.  This public search, subject to Florida’s Sunshine Laws, discouraged top talent from applying.  

Marco Island has a $30 million general fund with a complex budget, seriously underfunded infrastructure, and inadequate reserves.  This critical role demands the strongest possible candidates.  Yet at the April 6, 2026, meeting, Chair Palumbo pushed to hire Dr. Lucius without interviews, believing the council couldn’t coalesce around other candidates.  His motion failed. 

Councilor Champagne rightly said, “…if I got these results in my business, I’d start over.”  That’s exactly what our City Council should do now.  

This is a major position with serious inherited challenges. There is no need to rush. We have an interim city manager under contract. 

Let’s take the time to get this right for our community.