The City of Riviera Beach officially has a new interim city manager.
Karen Hoskins beat out the other finalist for the position, Lydia Roxborough Smith, during a special council meeting on Thursday evening.
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Hoskins has worked for the city since 1988 and currently serves as the assistant financial director.
Both candidates were asked questions by the interim Human Resources Director, Eureka Irving.
“Given the recent publicized events in the media … please provide the board with a plan to move the city forward?” Irving asked.
“I think that it is important that we get the employees engaged and energized again,” Hoskins answered.
Hoskins personnel file shows she got great reviews throughout her tenure at the city, but she does not have any experience as city manager.
That’s something that has Chairwoman KaShamba Miller-Anderson, who refused to rate either candidate, worried.
“I really was not overly confident in their experience, their skills for the interim city manager position,” Miller-Anderson said.
Council didn’t ask either candidate any questions but they did vote.
Hoskins scored 67 out of 80 points. Smith scored 46.
Hoskins will now serve as interim city manager for 90 days.
“I’m not interested in the permanent position,” Hoskins said. “Just 90 days to transition. That’s it.”
The three city council members who voted to fire City Manager Jonathan Evans on September 20 (Dawn Pardo, Lynne Hubbard, and Terence Davis) all highly encouraged Smith to apply for other positions with the city.
In the meantime council has 90 days, per charter, to find a permanent city manager.