By JO-ANN JOHNSTON
The Tampa Tribune

DADE CITY – City commissioners this morning unanimously selected Richard Reade of Sanford to be this community’s next city manager.

Reade, 36, previously was city manager in Davenport, Polk County, and assistant city manager in Auburndale, another Polk municipality. For the past 2½ years he has worked as a consultant for a developer, assisting with land purchases and development negotiations with communities in Central Florida.

The five Dade City commissioners held a special meeting Thursday morning to choose between Reade and another finalist, James P. Gallagher, 56, of Winter Haven. Both men have previous city management experience and both impressed the panel with their qualifications, commissioners said.

Mayor Hutch Brock said he ultimately settled on Reade as his first choice because Reade showed a “can-do and will-do attitude” and an ability to bring together constituents with divergent opinions to forge a consensus. Debates over growth and land use have become a recurring theme in Dade City as the small, historic Pasco County seat grapples with new housing development proposals.

The commission authorized Brock to negotiate a salary with Reade in the same pay range the job initially was advertised to pay – between $75,000 and $95,000 annually.

The current city manager, Harold Sample, wants to retire around July 1.

Reporter Jo-Ann Johnston can be reached at (352) 521-3062 or jfjohnston@tampatrib.com.

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