Manatee Commissioners OK Shorter Contract Extension for Scott Hopes

BRADENTON-- Manatee County Commissioners voted 4-3 to offer a contract extension to the county administrator, but not without some controversy and changes.

A virtual firestorm broke out over the weekend, after a letter from Manatee County Clerk of Courts Angel Colonneso to commission chair Kevin Van Osterbridge became public over the weekend. It raised questions about Hopes' getting a car allowance and a company SUV, as well as a "lack of communication" and "lack of transparency" from Hopes' office. She also claimed Hopes objected to her fulfilling a public records request. Colonneso appeared before the commission during public comment, saying that she was not conducting an "investigation", characterizing her probe into county financial issues as an "audit."

One of the claims made by Colonneso was that the turnover in county government since Hopes took office in April of 2021 has hindered her ability to function as comptroller. One of those departures became known as the meeting was getting underway, as county deputy administrator and Chief Financial Officer Jan Brewer stepped down.

Commissioner Misty Servia made a motion to put Hopes and a deputy administrator on paid leave, to allow time to look into Colonneso's allegations. The motion was rejected. Fellow commissioner Reggie Bellamy, the only Democrat, called on Hopes to step down over the claims made by Colonneso.

Commissioner George Kruse said getting rid of a county administrator in the middle of budget season makes "absolutely no sense."

At the end of more than three hours of discussion, Hopes addressed the SUV he gets from the county, saying he only uses it for public business, and only takes it home if he's fueling it. He responded to commissioners' proposals to adjust his salary: "You are giving me less money than I was making before, and far less than any other county administrators are, and you want me to come back tomorrow." Unlike other county employees' plans, Hopes has a 30-day out in his contract.

The deal offered to Hopes is for one year, until September 30, 2023, with a salary of $215,000.

Photo: Canva


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