Attempting to stick to its timeline of placing a new CEO by May, the Jacksonville Port Authority board of directors started to interview candidates for the position this week.
Board members will individually interview candidates, which allows members to privately conduct discussions without a public meeting or notice.
Two or more board members cannot meet and discuss port business without publicly noticing the meeting and allowing the public to attend.
“Typically, you don’t take all the candidates into a public meeting until you can narrow it down to a short list. That’s to protect the candidates who have applied and who are presently working at other positions,” Jim Citrano, board of directors chair, said Wednesday.
Citrano cited confidentiality agreements with the applicants as the reason for not divulging names or the number of applicants who will be interviewed. Citrano would only say that there are “quite a few” applicants.
State Rep. Lake Ray and JaxPort interim CEO Roy Schleicher previously said they were interested in the position. On Wednesday, each confirmed they will be interviewed this week.
City Council member Jim Love, who serves as Council liaison to JaxPort, recently learned Schleicher and Eric Green, JaxPort senior director of government and external affairs, will interview for the position.
“It’s a good job to have right now. We have a lot of momentum. Whoever we get has to be able to politick on the local, state and federal levels. Paul Anderson did a good job of that,” said Love, referring to the former CEO who was hired by the Tampa Port Authority in December.
The JaxPort board of directors hired Heidrick & Struggles to assist with the port’s CEO search. The firm will be paid $99,000 plus direct expenses for the service.
Minimum requirements for the position include knowledge and experience in the maritime seaport industry or closely related field and a minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible senior level management experience or a bachelor’s degree and 10 years of progressively responsible senior level management experience.
Anderson’s salary was $320,000.
@photojoe71
(904) 356-2466