City of Marco Island - Bio for Steven T. Thompson

STEVEN T. THOMPSON

City Manager with exceptional strength in economic development, redevelopment, financial management, downtown and resort area development, and delivery and improvement of quality services. Broad experience in medium to large cities – city manager in cities often in transition and facing controversial problems and relationships in a diverse environment; exceptional experience also as an assistant city manager with one of the top large-city management teams in the United States. Strong communication, project management and community engagement skills. Active in the community, with a focus on building civic involvement and support.

· ICMA Certified Local Government Manager

· Emergency Management Incident Command System Training IS 00100-00300

· Senior Executive Institute (University of Virginia - 2001)

· Menninger Institute for Local Government Managers, Topeka, Kansas (1991)

· Master's Degree in Public Administration (MPA), from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (1980)

· Bachelor's degree (BA) in political science at the College of Charleston, Charleston, SC (1977)

Professional Experience

City of Marco Island – City Manager 2008 – Present

City Manager in a beautiful city of Florida’s gulf coast, serving the permanent and seasonal residents with quality services and support.

City of Deltona – City Manager 2006 – 2008

City Manager in the second-largest city in the Orlando area, a full-service city of approximately 90,000 residents. The Commission adopted specific goals to turn the City into a city with depth and quality services, and these goals developed into the staff work plan:

· Strategic Planning – Initiated and completed a community-wide strategic planning process – Destination Deltona – with broad community to help shape the future. Destination Deltona articulates the community and Commission vision, and serves as one component in the process for update of the City's Comprehensive Plan. In addition, we developed infrastructure master plans for transportation, utilities, and parks and recreation as the capital improvement elements of the Comprehensive Plan, and initiated the Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) required in Florida.

· Regional Leadership – Successfully concluded the controversial joint planning area (JPA) process with the Volusia County Council and the Deltona City Commission, and initiated a number of successful projects – including a new amphitheater, utility system improvements and economic development projects – to create a true partnership with Volusia County. Actively led and supported regional efforts to resolve water capacity issues, animal housing and disposal, transportation and economic development issues, and property tax reduction strategies.

· Economic Development – Deltona led the coordination effort for successful implementation of the multi-jurisdictional Development of Regional Impact (DRI), including partnerships with Volusia County and the cities of DeLand and Orange City. Most recently worked with the partners to create a community redevelopment district (CRA) for this same property. Developed an office and industrial park concept plan, and presently searching for park sites. Completed a retail strategy, an economic development strategy, assisted the Commission in the creation of an economic development board, and changed the City’s marketing materials. Also developing a corridor study for an outdated business section of the City, and currently developing special assessment districts and improvements to the City’s emerging big box corridor and the two economic development (retail and office) sites in the City.

· Parks and Recreation – Master plan under development, and have taken on and resolved difficult and long-standing issues facing recreation issues in the City. Inventoried City property available for future parks, and changed the process and funding to create better support for and relationships with community groups and leagues.

· Urban Design Master Plan and Placemaking Study – Under development with intensive public involvement. Includes gateways, landscaping, street lights and furniture, and streetscaping designed along nature themes. Intersection design and construction presently underway for the first of 5 major intersections implementing the first theme. The second phase of the study is to create a corridor redevelopment plan for an outdated commercial area of the City.

· Communications Strategy – Developed DTV, the City's cable television presence, with live and delayed broadcast of Commission meetings. Renovated the City's website, improved and increased the frequency of the citywide newsletter to bi-monthly, and added an electronic newsletter. Coordinated the newsletters, website and television channel with complementary designs to support the unified communications strategy.

Innovation Groups – Special Consultant 2005 – 2006

Teaching and consulting with the Innovation Groups (now the Alliance for Innovation) for city councils and staff, with a focus on growth management, economic development, and strategic plan development and implementation. Developed outline and initial draft of book on applied technology projects in use in local governments in the United States.

City of Virginia Beach – Assistant City Manager/CFO 2000 – 2005

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Senior assistant city manager with one of the top city management teams in the country. In this role served also as the chief financial/development officer in a major resort city, leading the negotiations and development of more than $1 billion in large projects and facilities and all development and marketing efforts and events (often with national news coverage). Virginia Beach is a large high performance organization and a major resort city, providing quality services to 440,000 residents through 7,100 employees and an operating budget of $795 million (excluding schools), plus a capital budget of $233 million. The City enjoys a national reputation for service quality and innovation, was named by Money Magazine as one of the top ten best large cities in which to live, and has been recognized as one of the best-managed cities in the nation repeatedly over the past 5 years.

Directly supervised all economic development and redevelopment, tourism, planning and financial management operations of the City. Supervised the development and tourism operations and projects at the City’s resort area, including corridor planning and development, tourism growth and support, and convention center construction and operations. Also supervised construction and negotiation for the Town Center, an intense 17-acre urban edge development created in partnership with a private development firm. Our team developed, negotiated and built more than $1 billion in major projects of the City - including development and construction of the City’s $400 million downtown (including 4 parking garages), a new $50 million theater, a $203 million convention center, and multiple economic development and resort projects.

Innovation Groups – Special Consultant 2000

Consultant to local governments, assisting with strategic plan implementation and special projects. Projects completed include Growth Management Study 2000 for the Town of Mt. Pleasant, SC (population 51,000), with development of a growth control/building permit allocation system.

City of Greenville - City Manager 1998 - 2000

Greenville, South Carolina

City manager in an urban-core, full-service city of 65,000 residents, providing extensive general fund and enterprise services with approximately 1,000 employees and an annual budget of $80 million. Greenville is in transition from a textile community to a sophisticated urban center, and with the largest concentration of headquarters offices in the region and more than 2.9 million square feet of office space, the City serves as the financial and corporate center for the 9-county Upstate. Greenville is also a major cultural and entertainment hub, with the BI-LO Center (a 17,000-seat sports/entertainment arena), the Peace Center for the Performing Arts, the SC Governor’s School for the Arts, and significant museums and galleries.

City of Aiken - City Manager 1991 - 1998

Aiken, South Carolina

Extremely successful city manager in a city of 25,000, providing exceptionally high quality services throughout an extended service area of 55,000 residents with general fund and water, sewer, and storm water utility services. Aiken operates on a budget of approximately $36 million and 284 full-time employees, with extensive contractual services.

Aiken is a culturally diverse central city in the Central Savannah River Area, with an economic base that includes a mixture of equestrian tourism and high-tech industry, including industries supporting the 14,000 scientists and engineers of the Savannah River Site, a weapons facility of the US Department of Energy. The Aiken community also includes two colleges, and is the home of an extensive medical community, with a modern regional hospital with excellent facilities.

During my tenure we developed and constructed a beautiful pedestrian-scale downtown and dramatically expanded landscaping for the City’s extensive parkways. We also built attractive public safety and recreation facilities, renovated City Hall, purchased neighboring water systems and expanded the utility system, and greatly improved the public infrastructure of the community. We built an outstanding City organization and City services, taking advantage of technology to improve the City’s services and image. Employees were well equipped and well trained, and the City offered a high level of services to customers and residents. City services and operations include fully-consolidated Public Safety (the first Public Safety department in the nation rated as ISO Class 2, and accredited by CALEA in March, 1998; with all officers trained as medical assistance First Responders); Public Works (with the eighth largest utility system in the state, including water, sewer and storm water utilities); extensive recreational programs, featuring the best facilities and programs in SC; an outstanding municipal airport; extensive conference facilities and industrial parks; and Planning and Community Development.

City of Aiken - Assistant City Manager 1983 – 1991

City of Aiken - Assistant Finance Director 1982 - 1983

Richland County - Director of Administrative Services 1980 - 1982

Institute of Public Affairs - Research Analyst 1979 - 1980

SC State Government - Research Analyst and Auditor 1977 - 1979

Professional Activities and Awards

· Volusia Council of Governments – City Manager of the Year (2008).

· Florida League of Cities – Urban Planning Council (2006, 2007)

· Department of Juvenile Justice – Blueprint Commission, appointed by the Governor and Secretary to review possible improvements to a state agency (2007).

· Florida City-County Management Association – member.

· International City Management Association (ICMA) - full member.

· Metropolitan Area Projects Strategy Team (MAPS) - Member, under the Hampton Roads Partnership (2002).

· Carolina Innovations Group, an association of 56 local governments throughout North and South Carolina developing and encouraging innovations and improvements: Chairman (1997-1999) and Executive Committee (1992-1999). Strategic Planning Committee (1994-1995), supervising development of performance standards for use in local governments.

· SC City-County Management Association (SCCCMA) - Board of Directors (1997-2000), Member (1981-2000).

· Palmetto Municipal Benchmarking Project – Founding member and Steering Committee (1997-1999), formed under the Institute of Public Affairs, University of South Carolina.

· The Peace Center (Greenville, SC) - Board of Directors for a high-quality performing arts theatre and complex.

· BI-LO Center - Sports Organizing Committee (Greenville, SC), formed to bring major sports events to the 17,000 seat sports and entertainment arena.(1999-2000).

· Municipal Association of SC – Chair (1995) and Board of Directors of the Municipal Insurance Trust (1989-1995).

· US Department of Housing and Urban Development - Community Empowerment Team (1995 - 1998).

· Environmental Protection Agency - Policy Committee for the Savannah River Watershed Project (1994-1998), Policy Committee for the Reedy River Basin (1999-2000)

· United Way – Aiken – Volunteer of the Year (1990); Chairman of Board/CEO (1989); Campaign Chairman (1987); Board of Directors (1986-1989). Greenville – Community Planning Council, Success By Six Board (1999).

· Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce - Board of Directors; Chairman of the Entranceway Improvement Committee (1990-1991); Vice President for Economic Development (1984).

· Rotary International – Member since 1992.

· Aiken Kiwanis Club - President (1990-1991), Board of Directors (1986-1991).

· Thompson, Steven T. and Charlie C. Tyer. "Interlocal Service Agreements in South Carolina." University of South Carolina: The Bureau of Governmental Research and Service, 1980.

· Pylant, Jill T., Henry S. Domeracki, and Steven T. Thompson. "A Personnel Classification and Compensation Study for the Riverbanks Zoological Park Commission." University of South Carolina: The Bureau of Governmental Research and Service, 1980.

Married with two daughters. Excellent health.