SEBASTIAN — The City of Sebastian has narrowed its search for a new city clerk to six candidates, with interviews planned ahead of a final selection later this month.
City Manager Brian Benton told the City Council that seven applicants were initially selected from a larger pool.
"We have presented seven applicants to you all that Human Resources Director Felt met the requirements for the position. These seven have been presented to you all out of the 62 applications we received," Benton said.
The applicants brought a range of backgrounds in municipal government, records management and legal support. Among them were Trenton Warren, an assistant town clerk in Jupiter Island; Corey Snead, a former city clerk and city administrator in Butler, Missouri; Katerri Johnson, who previously served as city clerk in Delray Beach; Jane Garcia, town clerk and assistant to the town manager in Orchid; Patty Clarke, a senior litigation paralegal with supervisory experience; and Kimberly Banning, a certified municipal clerk with prior clerk of council experience.
One candidate, Samantha Aguire, who has a background as a legal assistant and paralegal, was not advanced.
"She offered no City Council experience or no government experience at all. She had a good resume overall. I mean, if we were looking for a Paralegal or something along those lines, I thought she fit very well," said Councilman Christopher Nunn said.
The remaining candidates had varying levels of direct municipal experience. Warren has worked on agenda preparation, records management and public records requests in Jupiter Island.
Snead previously served more than a decade as a city clerk before becoming a city administrator, overseeing staff and city operations.
Johnson has extensive experience managing municipal records, overseeing elections and supporting city commissions, including her tenure in Delray Beach and earlier roles in Fort Pierce and Parkland.
Garcia brings decades of office and personnel management experience, including her current role in Orchid and prior service as an elected town clerk in New Hampshire. Clarke’s background includes litigation support and administrative oversight, while Banning has held clerk of council roles and maintains certification as a municipal clerk, with experience in records management and legislative processes.
Council members are scheduled to interview the six finalists privately before making a final decision during a public meeting.
"The plan will be to do interviews during the day and then a 5 o'clock special meeting," Benton said. "We're only doing individual interviews and then a public meeting at 5 o'clock to make a decision."
The council is set to select the new city clerk during a special meeting at 5 p.m. on April 29. The chosen candidate will replace Acting City Clerk Catherine Testa.