Truth in advertising

EDITORIAL

Give the city of Fernandina Beach credit for not pulling punches in its advertisement for a new city manager.

The ad typically touts our "quaint, historic seaside," "rich cultural history" and "vibrant historic district" with its "attractive bed and breakfasts, many fine restaurants, stately oak trees and Spanish moss." We're "a cosmopolitan community of friendly people and hometown pride" who enjoy "a pleasant climate" and "outstanding beaches."

All true, all true.

But the ad admits our fair city has been "long characterized by small-town politics" and we've had "a revolving door for managers." It notes, "The police department has been the source of considerable embarrassment recently. The marina needs renovation and the effort has languished. The airport is involved in a lawsuit with its fixed-based operator. And so on."

Yes, well, better stop there. The list could get quite long and there's a limit to full disclosure. The candidates will get the idea.

We're looking for our eighth city manager since 1990, but "the city commission is committed" to closing the revolving door, the ad states.

"The commissioners do not agree on everything and frequently have strong opinions," as they should since "the quality of life in their community is important" to them. That is why, the ad implies, it is so important to find "the ideal candidate" to replace former city manager Bob Mearns.

We appreciate the candid approach. It is true our community has many problems, and a knack for failing to resolve some of them, but it's also true we have numerous strengths, not least among them our strongly opinionated citizenry.

The ideal candidate for the job will find this a great place to live and work. There will be sufficient challenges to keep him or her professionally motivated, but there are ample resources within and without city government to accomplish much. The commissioners may not always agree on means or methods, but we think a consensus can be achieved, after next year's election if not before.

We expect that a new city manager will have strong support for getting the job done. This is a community that yearns for leadership. The future is bright. It's a great place to be, warts and all, even for a city manager.