'The end of an era': Verdenia Baker to retire as Palm Beach County administrator in May
"WOW WHAT A RIDE!" Baker said in her retirement letter, noting that she began working in the county as a budget analyst 38 years ago. She rose through the ranks to become deputy administrator and replaced Robert Weisman when he retired in 2015.
"It was just time," Baker said Sunday. She had more than two years left on her five-year contract that was extended in 2022. "I'm looking forward to doing some traveling and spending more time with family. The county will be in excellent shape when I leave. We have a great quality of life here. People want to live in Palm Beach County."
In her retirement letter, Baker said: "I will remain committed to the job, the county commission and theresidents until I depart this position."
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Baker began working for the county in 1987. She served as a deputy administrator under Weisman for 14 years. As county administrator, she oversees more than 7,000 employees and a $9 billion budget. Palm Beach County is Florida's fourth-largest county, with more than 1.5 million residents. It is one of 58 counties nationally to have a AAA bond rating, which allows it to borrow money at interest rates lower than most other counties.
'It is the end of an era,' said County Commissioner Maria Sachs, noting the county has benefitted from Baker's guidance.
'Our park system is nationally recognized, and we have that great bond raring. She has done a great job but, nonetheless, I'd expect the county to benefit from a reboot and from a fresh look at how we can move forward at addressing the issues we are facing."
Baker was about to underdo her first formal evaluation. County commissioners decided last year that evaluations should be done for the three employees they hire and fire — the county administrator, internal auditor and county attorney. They were expected to be completed in May.
With Baker retiring, County Mayor Maria Marino said she does not expect the evaluation to take place.
Baker had acknowledged this year that putting together the county budget this year would be challenging. The county is already struggling to find $45 million to pay for presidential security costs and and significant cuts in federal and state aid are expected.
Baker said the upcoming evaluation was not a factor in her decision to retire but she took exception to the process being used to evaluate her. "You need to know what you are being evaluated on," she said. "I am evaluated every day as I serve at the pleasure of the commission despite being under contract."
One area that needs to addressed is affordable housing, according to Baker.
"No one could ever have guessed that the market would have boomed the way it did," she said. "Homes that were selling for $100,000 now sell for $400,000 and our workers cannot afford to live here. It is a difficult situation."
Marino said it is premature to discuss how the position will be filled and whether it will be filled before Baker retires. If not, the commission will appoint an interim administrator. Marino said it is possible that a national search will be undertaken. Such a search was done when Baker was appointed.
At least two commissioners — Joel Flores, who represents the Greenacres-Palm Springs area, and Sara Baxter, who represents the western communities — have pushed Baker to develop a system to evaluate supervisors.
Flores, who took office in November, said at a recent meeting that he was surprised to learn that supervisors were not being evaluated regularly. Baker said it was unnecessary, claiming that she routinely observes their work performance. But Flores said he wanted to pursue the issue during this year's budget process.
Baker listed a number of initiatives she has been involved in during her tenure as county administrator. They included:
Guiding the county through the COVID pandemic and overseeing its recovery.
Creation of a workforce housing program and a first-time homebuyers program.
Attracting four Major League Baseball teams to the county's two spring-training stadiums.
Passing in 2017 the referendum to approve a sales increase to 7% from 6% to pay for repairs to roads, schools, bridges and county-owned buildings.
Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and issues impacting homeowner associations. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Verdenia Baker to retire as Palm Beach County administrator in May
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