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Wayne Saunders
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Tab 10
South Lake Press (Clermont, FL)
July 13, 2012
CLERMONT
ROXANNE BROWN Staff Writer
Clermont City Manager Wayne Saunders surprised those attending Tuesday night's city council
meeting with an announcement that he was resigning.
Saunders, who has held the position since 1985, thanked current and past board members just
prior to his resignation. "I would respect that this chapter can be put behind us and the City of
Clermont can move on," the city manager said.
Saunders also presented the council with a "volunteer retirement agreement" drawn up by City
Attorney Dan Mantzaris that includes provisions that make his resignation effective Jan. 1, 2013.
However, the agreement would essentially keep Saunders on the city's payroll as a consultant
until Jan. 1, 2014, at his full $141,772.80 annual salary.
Councilman Jack Hogan made a motion the city pay Saunders his full salary through Jan. 1,
2013, and for the first six months during his consultant stint, then reduced the compensation for
the final six months. That motion died when it received no second.
Instead, council members voted 3-2 to accept the terms of the proposed retirement agreement.
Mantzaris, however, did get council to insert language that would allow the agreement to be
terminated by either party at any time "with cause," or in the event that Saunders accepts
another position at any time through Jan. 1, 2014.
The mood in the audience was split. Some employees, officials and residents pointed out that
Saunders has been a big factor in the financial health of the city, and it helping to keep property
tax rates low.
Others expressed disapproval of Saunders' management style and his ability to lead the city into
the future.
Longtime residents Cuqui Whitehead and Jim Purvis said they were disappointed by the events
leading up to Saunders' early retirement announcement. Both said they felt "ashamed."
Saunder's resignation comes in the wake of a question raised by Van Wagner at a visioning
workshop last month as to whether Saunders was the right person to lead Clermont forward.
Van Wagner said he feels Clermont needs "a change" in its leadership.
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