By Joseph Wiedeman, Interning Correspondent for The Apopka Voice
In Summary:
Apopka Mayor Nick Nesta presented a proposed organizational chart intended to improve coordination, infrastructure oversight, and resident services in Apopka. The proposal includes chief of staff and chief utilities officer positions, along with roles addressing public advocacy, community development, and project management. Former campaign manager Brian Mater expressed interest in considering the chief of staff role, while public comments included support for the changes and concerns about accountability.
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Apopka Mayor Nick Nesta is proposing a restructuring of city government that would add several positions, including a chief of staff role that has drawn interest from his former campaign manager.
Related: Apopka commissioners offer four perspectives on City Hall dismissals.
At Monday’s town hall, Nesta presented a new organizational chart outlining his proposed changes. He said he wants Apopka’s government to operate more like Orlando’s and argued that Apopka’s growth over the past six years demonstrates the need for restructuring.
“We need better coordination, departments have not felt supported, and we all need each other,” Nesta said in his opening remarks. “We all have to come together to serve our city residents.”
The proposed structure includes two new department heads: a chief of staff and a chief utilities officer. The chief utilities officer would focus primarily on coordinating infrastructure maintenance and upgrades, while the chief of staff would oversee special marketing projects and communications.
In addition to those department heads, the reorganization would include a public advocacy and resolutions role, a community development director, and an enterprise project manager.
“Residents should not have to call five different departments to fix one issue,” Nesta said. “My goal is to make sure all our employees are those excellent customer service representatives that can get you the help you need.”
The chart placed residents at the top, with the City Commission, city clerk and vacant city attorney position between residents and the mayor. It also showed seven departments reporting directly to the mayor, who would report to the commission.
Nesta said the proposed structure would move Apopka beyond a government model rooted in the 1990s and bring it more in line with larger Central Florida cities. He attributed many of the city’s recent struggles to its difficulty keeping pace with growth and called for greater accountability.
“We don’t execute what we promise to our residents,” Nesta said. “What we have done in the past is the blame game, but it's time we take ownership. I'll be open to further questions.”
However, Nesta said he would not answer questions at the town hall about Friday’s firings of the interim city administrator and chief financial officer.
Public comments included both support for the proposed changes and concerns about city accountability. Apopka resident Sylvester Hall said he hoped more citizens would become involved in city government.
“Over the last five years, it's been well documented the corruption that we have perceived going on,” Hall said. “I see a lot of familiar faces here tonight; everybody here knows what's going on. I would like to see additional residents coming in and being concerned.”
“Anytime you don’t do a forensic audit, that tells me you're not headed in the right direction,” Hall added at the end of his remarks.
Commissioner Sam Ruth said he had learned about the town hall only two days before it took place, but expressed support for Nesta’s efforts.
“I did not know we were having this until two days ago,” Ruth said after the comment period. “But I think it’s great; we have a young mayor making a lot of different changes. I’m on board with anything he wants to do.”
Nesta said salaries for each position would be available online and that the city would update the organizational chart as positions are filled. He also said future decisions would be guided by facts rather than emotion.
“For each position, it will go through the traditional process,” Nesta said when asked whether he planned to hire his former campaign manager and co-leader of his transition team, Brian Mater, as chief of staff. “The positions will be distributed and posted publicly and then each position will require a commission budget amendment for adoption.”
The question followed allegations Commissioner Nadia Anderson made earlier in September that Nesta was preparing to hire his former campaign manager into a reclassified chief of staff position. Nesta’s response did not identify a preferred candidate. Anderson did not respond to follow-up questions about Monday’s town hall.
Mater is originally from Colorado, where he was involved in local politics. He said he initially believed he was finished with elections after moving to Florida. However, his experiences with his homeowners association led him to get involved in Nesta’s campaign.
“After you win an election, you kinda walk away for a little bit,” Mater said during a phone interview. “You’re like ok, I’m done. But we ended up talking more about what we could do to help out. I like his honesty, and I spend a lot of hours with the mayor right now helping him out, trying to guide him a little bit. He doesn't have that.”
Mater said he works as an auditor for a private insurance company and operates his own companies. He nevertheless said he was interested in considering the proposed chief of staff position.
“We became friends during the campaign,” Mater said when asked whether he planned to apply for either the chief utilities officer or chief of staff position. “I have a job that pays very well and is not in the limelight. If the mayor wanted to work further along, I would always honor that situation, but I would never apply for the chief utilities officer.”
“I believe I have a lot of respect among the city workers,” Mater added. “So the chief of staff position is something, if it were to come available, that I would be more inclined to talk to the mayor about. I would review it.”
Key Points:
- Nesta presented a proposed restructuring of Apopka city government at Monday’s town hall.
- A chief of staff would oversee special marketing projects and communications, while a chief utilities officer would coordinate infrastructure maintenance and upgrades.
- The proposed structure also includes public advocacy and resolutions, community development and enterprise project management roles.
- Nesta said positions would be posted publicly and require City Commission budget amendments for adoption.
- Former campaign manager Brian Mater said he would consider the chief of staff opportunity, but would not apply for chief utilities officer.
PHOTOS BY ISABEL LECOMPTE (@ISASBEL.LECOMPTE), INTERNING PHOTOGRAPHER FOR THE APOPKA VOICE.
