Brooksville City Manager Candidates Interviewed

After a secretive departure of the prior city manager, council members look for a candidate to shape the city’s future

On March 29, three candidates vying for the position of Brooksville City Manager gathered at City Hall for a public interview conducted by city council. Originally 38 candidates applied, and 33 were considered “fully qualified” according to metrics created by the city’s human resources department.

Under the city’s council-manager form of government, the city manager is delegated to make decisions and manage the day-to-day operations of the city. The Mayor is primarily a ceremonial title, who has equal say as a member of city council. The interview and hiring for a city manager is made by a majority vote of the city council.

Candidates were asked to make a short introduction before councilmembers took turns asking pre-planned questions.

Timothy Day
Currently a resident of Cape Coral, Day has served short stints as town manager in small communities throughout Florida, and currently serves as a Community Development District Manager for Inframark Corporation, which he described in the interview as a special taxing district.

Much of his interview was focused on his tenure at the Southwest Florida Public Service Academy in Fort Myers, where as director he oversaw the academy that trained and certified public safety professionals such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, and correctional officers.

Day was an elected official in the City of Cape Coral from 2000-2009 as a City Councilmember and Mayor Pro-Tem. He was a police officer in Rhode Island from 1983-1996.

“You folks have done a great job,” Day told the Council. He focused on grants and grant writing as a potential source of income.

Brooksville resident Donna Morin said she felt Day was the best candidate for this role. “He has a lot of experience in city government. He was very knowledgeable about what the people of our beautiful city wanted to see,” Morin said. “[He’s] very enthusiastic about moving the city forward, keeping it historic.”

Day also stressed the importance of transparency, making reference to the federal DOGE efforts revealing money going to foreign countries.

Lisa Hendrickson
Hendrickson began her introduction at the podium by turning to the small crowd gathered in the chambers and thanking residents and city staff for showing up. This set the tone for her interview, which made frequent references to being resident-focused.

Hendrickson currently serves as the Mayor of Redington Shores, a small coastal community in Pinellas County near St. Petersburg. She won her seat with over 85% of the vote on March 14, 2023.

On March 17, she submitted her resignation to be effective April 13 of this year. “Our town faces significant obstacles in achieving long-term sustainability,” Hendrickson said in her resignation announcement. “Without strong collaboration among leadership, meaningful progress remains a challenge.”

The Town of Redington Shores has been plagued by high turnover of elected officials well before the town was devastated by two hurricanes last year. Hendrickson told city council she is committed to relocating to Brooksville should she get the position. “After the last two storms, my husband said, ‘Let’s get off this barrier island,’” Hendrickson told city council. “When you know you know, it’s time to move inland.”

Hendrickson served 22 years as the assistant city manager for the City of Pinellas Park, and has extensive education, including a Master’s of Public Administration from the University of South Florida and a Certificate in Public Management from Florida State University.

Hendrickson’s focus on committees and community involvement is what appealed to Brooksville resident Pam Everett.
“Her collaboration with the community and council seemed very hands-on,” Everett said. “Her identity and vision went right to the community.”

David Hainley
Perhaps the most familiar with city council and staff, Hainley currently serves as the Community Development Director and “co-interim city manager” alongside Public Works Director Richard Weeks.

Prior to his work with Brooksville, where he started in August 2022, he worked in similar roles for the City of Suffolk, Virginia and Glynn County in Georgia. His background and earlier employment are primarily in landscape architecture.

Hainley graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1975 with a degree in Landscape Architecture. He still maintains a professional registration as a landscape architect in Georgia, according to his resume.

When asked why he wanted to be city manager, he told city council: “It’s the natural conclusion to the end of my career.”

“We’re going to have to grow and essentially double in the next ten years,” Hainley told city council.

Hainley, a Citrus County resident, was demure when asked how to keep the millage rate low. “We’re going to have to have lots of discussions about that,” Hainley said. He made references to municipalities in Georgia that had some success with privatizing city services.

Longtime Brooksville resident and frequent city council attendee Kojack Burnett was most impressed with Hainley. “You know where my heart stands, so I ain’t going to tell you,” Burnett said. “He’s already up to speed, I think David would be the best man.”

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The final step in the process is for the city council to deliberate on the three finalists and vote on the candidate they want to hire. This will take place on April 7, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at Brooksville City Hall. This meeting will be open to the public, and as with other meetings, citizens will have the chance to voice their opinion before a decision is
made.