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Tuesday, A Committee Will Consider 17 Applicants For Century Town Administrator
July 20, 2025
A selection committee will meet this week to consider 17 candidates for Century town administrator, who will work as the chief operations officer of the town and carry out the mayor and town council’s initiatives.
The administrator will report directly to the elected mayor.
The diverse pool of applicants includes five applicants with immediately local area ties – Alan Fowler of Alabama, who currently works with the town as a water and wastewater consultant, former state representative Dave Murzin, who now owns an economic development consulting firm in Pensacola; Century native Jeff Peacock who recently ran unsuccessfully for Congress; Lisa Rouse, who is operations and marketing manager for two technology firms in Pensacola; and Brian Underwood of Fairhope, who is grants director for Baldwin County (AL) Commission.
The recruitment process has drawn interest from across the country. The applicants bring a wide and diverse range of experience,including municipal management, public safety leadership, economic development expertise, and nonprofit administration.
According to the job description, the salary range for the position is $112,000 to $137,000, with the likely salary offer between the minimum of $112,000 and the midpoint of the range, or about $124,500.
An applicant will be recommended by a selection committee that includes Mayor Ben Boutwell, council members John Bass and Henry Cunningham, interim town manager Howard Brown, and key staff members. Brown has stated that he will not apply for the town administrator position. According to the town charter, the final hiring recommendation to the council must come from the mayor.
The selection committee will meet at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 22 for a workshop, which is open to the public, in town council chambers. In a workshop, the committee will not be able to take a formal vote.
The applicants, listed in alphabetical order are:
- Charles V. Anderson (Saint Petersburg, FL): Anderson is the former city manager for Treasure Island, Florida, where he led disaster recovery efforts and managed multimillion-dollar budgets. With decades of military and local government experience, he specializes in crisis management, infrastructure planning, and personnel leadership.
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Darryl LeTroy Bell (current city unclear): Bell is a former manager with extensive experience in municipal governance, economic development, and public works. He has managed cities such as Palatka, FL, and Muskegon Heights, MI, overseeing multimillion-dollar budgets, infrastructure improvements, and community revitalization.
- Kelliyah Cherubin (Orlando area, FL): Cherubin is a former admission counselor at Everglades University with experience in case management, community outreach, and nonprofit operations. She holds a Master’s degree in public administration and specializes in stakeholder engagement, policy analysis, and event coordination.
- Peter Cavalli (Tampa, FL): Cavalli is the founder of Tampa Bay Training, LLC, and a former town manager for Kenneth City, Florida. He has extensive experience in public works, emergency management, and workforce development, as well as training programs for municipalities and private sector clients.
- George Calvin Dickens III (Savannah, GA): Dickens is a fire safety maintenance inspector for Georgia Southern University (Armstrong Campus) and a fire engineer for the City of Savannah. He has extensive experience in fire safety, emergency management, and municipal operations, with certifications in fire inspection and hazardous materials handling.
- Timothy J. Day (Cape Coral, FL): A former district manager for multiple Community Development Districts in Florida, Day brings over 30 years of experience in city/town management, law enforcement, and public safety. He has managed utility modernization projects, FEMA disaster recovery efforts, and financial audits for municipalities. He also served as a City Council member in Cape Coral for nine years.
- Roger Allen Fowler (Camden, AL): Currently an area manager for ClearWater Solutions, overseeing water and wastewater operations in Florida and Alabama. As a ClearWater employee, he currently manages Century’s water and wastewater plants and supervises Jay’s wastewater facility. He has 16 years of experience in water/wastewater construction, operations, maintenance, and compliance.
- Nicholas Frigiola (Live Oak, FL): Frigiola is the Community Redevelopment Director for Live Oak, Florida, where he manages multimillion-dollar redevelopment projects and grant funding. He previously served as a Community Redevelopment Officer for the Saint Cloud Police Department and has expertise in public safety and community engagement.
- Derrick Harris (Hot Springs, AR area): Harris serves as Director of the Tri-Lakes Metropolitan Planning Organization, where he manages multimillion-dollar transportation projects and federal grant programs. He has extensive experience in public speaking, stakeholder engagement, and infrastructure planning.
- Vance Lipsey (Mount Calm, TX): Lipsey is the former City Administrator for Ranger, Texas, where he oversaw municipal operations, strategic planning, and urban development. He has experience managing small-town dynamics and seasonal population fluctuations, as well as implementing infrastructure and community development projects.
- David J. Murzin (Pensacola, FL): Murzin is currently the Director of First Place Partners, representing economic development in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. He is a former state representative for Florida. He has extensive experience in legislative leadership, economic development, and disaster recovery, having worked closely with local governments across Northwest Florida.
- Jeff Peacock (Pace, FL): Peacock is a mathematics teacher at Navarre High School and a former COO for nonprofit organizations. He has a background in strategic planning, operational management, and public policy, with degrees from Harvard University and the University of Chicago. A Century native, he was recently an unsuccessful candidate for Florida’s 1st Congressional District.
- Tracy D. Roles (OK): Roles is a former city manager for Ada, Oklahoma, and assistant city manager for Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He has over 20 years of experience in municipal government and public safety, specializing in law enforcement, emergency management, and community engagement.
- Lisa Rouse (Pensacola, FL): Rouse is the director of operations and marketing for two technology firms and a public sector consultant. She specializes in financial systems, utility oversight, and personnel development. A Pensacola resident, she is deeply involved in local civic groups and community engagement.
- Jared Schumacher (Taneytown, MD): Schumacher is the grants manager for Westminster Rescue Mission and a former town manager for Boonsboro, Maryland. He has expertise in grant writing, capital improvement projects, and municipal operations, with a focus on financial compliance and public trust restoration.
- Brian Louis Underwood (Fairhope, AL): Currently serving as grants director for Baldwin County Commission, Underwood has managed multimillion-dollar grant programs for infrastructure and disaster recovery. He previously served as executive director of the Choctawhatchee Bay Estuary Program and has extensive experience in strategic planning, environmental stewardship, and intergovernmental coordination.
- Fred Ventresco (KS): Ventresco is a seasoned municipal manager with over 17 years of experience leading several municipalities. His most recent positions were a “brief, while-needed” position as city administrator in Holecome, Kansas, and town administrator in Pinetops, North Carolina. He has expertise in budgeting, personnel management, infrastructure projects, and emergency preparedness, having served as town administrator in multiple states.
Editor’s note: Information for each applicant is a brief summary taken from more complete resumes, applications and/or cover letters submitted to the Town of Century. Applicant’s information and claims were not independently verified by our staff.
Comments
One Response to “Tuesday, A Committee Will Consider 17 Applicants For Century Town Administrator”
I hope, whomever they choose will take a special interest in Century and bring the City out of the pit it’s in to shine once and for all. Century could be so much better than it has in the past. They need to invite businesses and households to join in. That endeavor alone would make the new administration somewhat of a Hero.