The two finalists in the search for the next permanent city manager for the City of Palm Coast will be undergoing public interviews next week, the city government confirmed. They’ll be interviewed in several phases on Thursday, November 13th. Several of these will be open to public viewing and participation.
Background
After over a year and a half without a permanent city manager, the search has boiled down to two individuals: David Fraser and Michael McGlothlin. Prior to selecting this pair, the city had multiple attempts to conduct a widespread search with varying levels of satisfaction. Interim City Manager Lauren Johnston has maintained throughout the process that she’s not interested in pursuing the job in a permanent capacity.
The search for a new city manager was started in March 2024, when then-Mayor David Alfin successfully lobbied for the firing of Denise Bevan to his colleagues at the time. The only present Council member who was in office at that time, Vice Mayor Theresa Carli Pontieri, voted against the firing. Bevan previously worked for Palm Coast for fourteen years, rising to Chief of Staff of Infrastructure and later to interim City Manager. She was hired as the permanent City Manager in February 2022.
About the Finalists
Fraser first began his career in city administration in 1992. He holds a Masters of Public Administration from the Marriott School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Brigham Young University. Fraser served on the Board of Directors for the National League of Cities from 2007 to 2010 and the Govt. Affairs Policy Committee for the International City/County Management Association from 2005 to 2012.
McGlothlin worked his way into city administration from an initial career in law enforcement. After serving in the U.S. Army for seven years, he was a police officer in Fayetteville, North Carolina from 1994 to 2000. He then rose through the ranks of law enforcement agencies in Zebulon, North Carolina and Columbia City, Oregon before becoming city administrator in the latter. McGlothlin holds a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in public administration and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from Columbia Southern University.
Each candidate’s city management experience as listed in their resume (with added context below each item) is as follows:
David Fraser
- Interim County Manager – Adams County, Colorado (2024 – present)
- Population of 519,572 via the 2020 census
- Senior Associate – Municipal Solutions (2013 – present)
- Goodyear, Arizona
- Executive Director – Wyoming Association of Municipalities (2019 – 2024)
- City Manager – Boulder City, Nevada (2013 – 2017)
- Population of 15,023 via the 2010 census
- Executive Director – Nevada League of Cities & Municipalities (2003 – 2013)
- City Administrator – Beloit, Kansas (1998 – 2003)
- Population of 4,019 via the 2000 census
- City Manager – Buchanan, Michigan (1996 – 1998)
- Population of 4,992 via the 1990 census
- Town Administrator – Milliken, Colorado (1994 – 1996)
- Population of 1,605 via the 1990 census
- Management Intern – Provo, Utah (1992 – 1994)
- Population of 86,835 via the 1990 census
Click here to watch David Fraser’s video interview.
Michael McGlothlin
- Town Administrator – Redington Shores, Florida (2023 – 2025)
- Population of 2,176 via the 2020 census
- City Administrator – Columbia City, Oregon (2019 – 2023)
- Population of 1,949 via the 2020 census
- Chief of Police & City Emergency Manager – Columbia City, Oregon (2009 – 2018)
- Population of 1,946 via the 2010 census
- Division Commander, Patrol & Investigative Division – Zebulon Police Department
- Zebulon, North Carolina
- Population of 4,046 via the 2000 census
Click here to watch Michael McGlothlin’s video interview.
For context, Palm Coast currently has an estimated population of 110,981 according to World Population Review. This would dwarf the population of any city that either finalist has held an administrative role in, with the exception of long-past internship and current interim role for David Fraser. Meanwhile, McGlothlin has the distinction of having administration experience in modern Florida, with its statewide challenges of a rapidly growing population. Last year Palm Coast was ranked the fifth fastest-growing city in Florida by the finance website Insider Monkey.
Schedule for the Home Stretch
The proceedings will begin on Wednesday next week. Both of the finalists will be given tours of City Hall and other locations throughout Palm Coast by city staff. Here they’ll be brought up to speed on important ongoing projects, the ground-level community, and the operations of the city.
On Thursday morning, the next day, each City Council member will have the opportunity to interview the finalists one-on-one. After that the candidates will do public interviews conducted by the entire City Council in the chambers. These interviews will be open to the public.
Fraser will be interviewed first on Thursday, with his slot beginning at 1:30 pm. After that, McGlothlin is scheduled to begin his session at 3:15 pm. After the interviews are over, there will be a public meet-and-greet with residents in the community wing of City Hall from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. Those who can’t attend the interviews in person will be able to view them via the city’s YouTube live stream.
Chris Gollon is a Flagler County resident since 2004, as well as a staple of the local independent music scene and avid observer of Central Florida politics, arts, and recreation.
