Six Semi-Finalists Chosen Out Of 126 Resumes For City Manager

LAKELAND, FL — The city of Lakeland has narrowed down its final candidates for a city of Lakeland manager to take former manager, Tony Delgado's place after he retired on September 26.

Out of a list of 16 candidates, as of Tuesday, the city is down to choosing amongst six applicants.

The six semi-finalists are:

• Natasha Hampton, Assistant City Manager for Rocky Mount, North Carolina
• Ty Kovach, Executive Director for Lake County Forest Preserve, Libertyville, Illinois
• Ronda Perez, Assistant City Manager for City of Lancaster, California
• Shawn Sherrouse, Interim City Manager for the City of Lakeland
• Michael Moore, former Chief of Staff for the United States Navy Command
• Edward Phillips, Chief Operating Officer/City Manager for MacDill Air Force Base

“The city manager search yielded 126 resumes from 28 states, including 59 applicants from Florida," said Heidi Voorhees, president of GovHR. "Through the credential review, interviews and research, the list narrowed to those I believe are most suited for the position.”

Delgado served as city manager for 23 years, and made his announcement for his retirement date public in June.

Shawn Sherrouse is currently serving as interim city manager during the search process. Interim city manager Sherrouse is one of the semi-finalists for the city manager position.

Mayor Bill Mutz said, “After reviewing each candidate on the list provided by GovHR, each city commissioner provided their top six candidates. We reached a consensus and look forward to the next step in the process when we talk to each of the six candidates during a one-hour question and answer session.”

The commission will interview the six semi-finalists with four candidates participating in a one-hour individual video conferencing session on October 7 and two candidates on October 9. The city commission will then narrow the selection to the top three invited to interview in person.