a candidate was improper and was not a full council decision. “We never had a vote to add him as a candidate.” Bogosian added that while Kerr is a “great devoted city employee,” his Bring a Taste of New Orleans to Mount Pleasant & Park Circle lolaparkcircle.com • 843-990-9416 Enjoy Crawfish, New Orleans BBQ Shrimp, LoLa's Mac N’ Cheese and more! 1036 Chuck Dawley Blvd. Mt. Pleasant & 4830 O’Hear Ave. North Charleston Kerr named next city administrator, internal hiring controversy explained By L. C. Leach III 3 IslandVibesIOP.com NEWS After serving nearly three decades as an Isle of Palms employee in various building, planning and zoning capacities, interim city administrator Douglas Kerr is now firmly in the position, following a contentious 6-3 vote during a special council meeting on Feb. 26. Kerr’s hiring came approximately two months after former city administrator Desiree Fragoso stepped down at the end of December 2024 to take a position with the Municipal Association of South Carolina. Her pending departure led city officials to conduct a national search through Find Great People to fill the vacancy. The filing deadline for the position was Dec. 31, 2024 during which time Kerr initially did not apply for the job before changing his mind. As an internal candidate Kerr was added to the mix after the external deadline passed based on discussions at the administration committee and council. "We can confirm that Douglas Kerr applied,” said Christin Mack, FGP manager of public sector executive search. “Based upon his application review by the Administration Committee, he was selected to move forward in the interview process." Kerr’s resume rose above the other 79 applicants and three finalists. His 28 years serving with IOP in various capacities was cited as a key reason. “Douglas was the only real choice we had,” said Councilman Blair Hahn. “He was the only candidate with experience managing a fire department, police department, recreation department, business community and a major resort with two golf courses. None of the other candidates’ experience in these areas came close.” Councilman Rusty Streetman added that Kerr was his first choice partly because of his knowledge of “all the projects at hand and all the priorities we have on the island.” Some of these priorities include: Ongoing beach renourishment efforts to battle erosion; adopting a Sea Adaptation Plan to address rising ocean levels; hiring a new deputy administrator; building official and financial forecaster and presenting the city’s new Comprehensive Plan. “There are numerous initiatives to be done over the next two years,” Kerr said. “However, I think the two biggest tasks will be getting the island’s beaches back to a healthy condition and sealing the back side of the island off from tidal inundation through drainage projects and a flood barrier to be built into the Wild Dunes golf course and the elevation of the Waterway Boulevard path.” However, Kerr’s appointment sparked concerns among three dissenting council members – John Bogosian, Katie Miars and Scott Pierce. Bogosian said the entire process of Kerr being added as Continued on page 8
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjcyNTM1