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And Then There Were Four – Century Interviews Town Administrator Candidates
August 15, 2025
On Thursday evening, the Century Town Council interviewed four applicants to be the next Century town administrator, and announced that a fifth candidate had withdrawn from consideration.
The council conducted all interviews virtually, regardless of where the candidate resides, in an effort to not favor local area candidates.
The council interviewed former state representative and businessman Dave Murzin of Pensacola; former Treasure Island, Florida, administrator Charles Anderson, who noted he is now living in Navarre; Baldwin County grants director Brian Underwood of Fairhope; and Peter Cavalli of Tampa, a businessman and former town manager for Kenneth City, Florida.
A fifth applicant, Timothy Day of Cape Coral, Florida, informed the town Thursday that he was withdrawing from consideration.
The council also, dissolved the selection committee, which had consisted of Mayor Ben Boutwell and council members Henry Cunningham and John Bass. The dissolution allows the mayor to speak with each member of the town council individually about their applicant choices. Boutwell, Cunningham, Bass and council Sparkie Harrison attended the meeting in-person, while council members Dynette Lewis and Shelisa Abraham were out of town and attended virtually.
Under the town charter, the mayor must make the employment recommendations to the council for approval or disapproval; the council is unable to otherwise approve someone. Boutwell is expected to make his recommendation at the regular council meeting next Tuesday.
Pictured first below: The four remaining applicants for Century town administrator (the images are poor quality, photographed unenlarged on a TV screen during virtual interviews). Other photos; Members of the Century Town Council interview administrator applicants Tuesday evening. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
8 Responses to “And Then There Were Four – Century Interviews Town Administrator Candidates”
My name is Jeff Peacock and I was one of the semi-finalists in the selection process for town administrator. I wanted to share my experience in this process and my belief that it was fundamentally flawed.
After the field was narrowed to 10 people, the town council decided to have interviews with the 10 semi-finalists and also conduct background checks on each. Although I was one of these semi-finalists, I was never contacted by the mayor or any of the members of the town council for an interview. Further, I received a third-party request for permission to conduct a background check (which takes a week) the same day that the finalist cut was made (which I did not make).
Obviously, I’m disappointed that I was not selected for this position; however, I’m more upset by the lack of fairness in the process. As a semifinalist, I don’t understand why the town council did not give me the same opportunity to present my qualifications as the other semi-finalist candidates apparently had. Further, why did they require me to submit my very personal information for a background check, only for that check to not have the time to be completed? And were the finalist candidates selected before their background checks were complete?
Century is my hometown and it is my sincere desire that the town’s leadership is able to find the best person to serve in this role. Six figures is a big commitment to make based on a 15-minute interview and inconsistent vetting. Hopefully, a positive result will come from this questionable selection process.
@Gman. You are absolutely correct. I listened to all the interviews while at the meeting. Him and Anderson were definitely ahead of the other two candidates. Both of these candidates are straight forward without all the double talk most elected officials give. I’d definitely be alright with either choice.
Davis Murzin is a local Escambia County product and is familiar with the current local issues within Century. Murzin is a proven winner and would be an asset to the citizens of Century.
Don’t miss a good opportunity to have a great Town manager who is very knowledgeable and will work way more hours than your residents could imagine.he would be moving close to your town and always be available.
I was the only one in the audience last night. I did speak about being local so we will see what happens. That cavalli candidate resides in Tampa. The other candidates were within a county or two. Anderson and murzin were the two strongest out of the selected ones that interviewed.
I would hope a Town Administrator would live IN the town and be present at Town Hall daily. If they aren’t willing to live here they shouldn’t be hired.
Being able to come into the office five days a week should be the most important requirement. If a person can’t come to the office, the town doesn’t need them. Ask yourself mayor and town council members, how well can you really run a town hundreds of miles away that you have never put a foot in, and really don’t know anything about the town. Example: So John calls you from the town you have never actually been to and tells you we really need at traffic light at a particular intersection. Thirty minutes later Joe calls and tells you, ole John has been trying to get a light at that intersection for twenty years, we don’t really need one there. What are you going to do since the town is hundreds of miles away, call everyone in that town and ask them. So, if they can’t come to Century everyday, Century doesn’t need them no matter how good they do in their town. Give them the boot.
Will this person be required to live close enough to Century to report to an office within the City limits 5 days a week?
We know how they get hired (Mayor recommendation, Council approval). Is it the same process to get fired if it doesn’t work out?