CM Finalist Van Liere Candidate Profiles
Nelson Van Liere 12448 Gately Road South • Jacksonville, Florida 32225
( 904 .220 .4131 (h) • 904 .318 .0357 (c) • vanliere @bellsouth.net
Salary: $ 123 ,000
Experience
1998 — Present Interim City Manager • City of Atlantic Beach, Florida
Finance Director • City of Atlantic Beach, Florida
1991 - 1998 Budget Officer • City of Jacksonville Beach, Florida
1989 — 1991 Accountant • City of Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Accounting Supervisor I • City of Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Assistant Finance Director • City of Jacksonville Beach, Florida
1988 — 1989 Associate Staff Accountant • Smoak, Davis and Nixon CPA • Jacksonville,
Florida
Educational Background Bachelor of Business Administration
University of North Florida
Florida Certified Public Accountant
Association and
Committee Membership Member, Florida Government Finance Officers Association
Member, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Background Information Nelson Van Liere, the City' s current Finance Director, has served as Interim
City Manager for nine (9) months, acting in both a leadership role for City staff
( and managing the Finance Department during that time. Mr. Van Liere has
previously spent time in various accounting positions in the private sector
( 1988- 1989) and served as the Budget Officer and in other public finance
capacities for the City of Jacksonville Beach ( 1989 — 1998). He has served as
Finance Director for Atlantic Beach for sixteen ( 16) years, supporting the
budget development and management function of the City. Mr. Van Liere has
applied for the City Manager' s position because he has enjoyed the broader
view of problem solving across departmental lines he has experienced and
because he feels he has the ability to lead staff, noting the City' s twenty percent
(20%) turnover rate, the City' s consolidation of Public Works and Utilities and
dealing with issues such as Police Department expansion and a wide variety of
complex issues that he feels he is dealing with or has dealt with successfully
while serving in an interim capacity. Mr. Van Liere noted that he was gaining
confidence in his problem solving abilities and that he was excited to be
challenged with new and different things on a daily basis . He believes he is well
suited for the position due to his knowledge of the City and the City staff and
the various issues internal to the City and external (regionally).
Justification for
Recommendation Nelson Van Liere is an experienced local government finance professional who
has observed the City' s operations for some time and has detailed knowledge of
the City' s financial structure. He is supplementing his deep knowledge of
finance by working to gain similar levels of knowledge related to operating
issues and has taken on several issues for the City that have helped him expand
his horizons as a Manager. In addition, he discussed numerous new ideas he
developed during our discussion including new ideas for citizen engagement
should he be selected for the position, noting that the City' s message needs to be
Springsfed
City of Atlantic Beach, Florida
Executive Search — City Manager
Candidate Profiles
consistent across all lines . He is an adequate, but quiet, oral communicator and
writes well. He has gained an understanding of the roles of the Manager and
Commission, noting that the Manager and staff implement approved
Commission policy and that the Manager also serves as a facilitator, bringing a
variety of views together to form a common direction. He also noted that as
Interim Manager there was more of a focus on an aggressive effort in
developing a community development authority for the Mayport Corridor, work
with department heads to better focus the City' s performance evaluation needs
for staff and to rearrange Commission meeting to maintain transparency, but
improve efficiency. As a manager, Mr. Van Liere appears to have a style which
allows staff freedom to act within their own areas of responsibility and leads by
providing information which prompts deeper thought and discussion. He
believes all staff are experts in their field and recognizes that they have creative
and positive ideas . He has implemented other ideas to improve staff efficiency
and has been aggressive for an Interim Manager in doing so.
References described Nelson Van Liere as being a well-rounded, easy-going,
conscientious, and an outside-the-box thinker. His management style is to place
competent, capable people in key positions, delegating and giving them the
latitude to do the work while remaining available to provide guidance,
especially in his areas of strength, budgeting and finance. With elected officials,
references noted that he is professional, thorough, always prepared, and doesn't
` overstep his knowledge," that is, he is willing to take the time to research an
issue to provide the best information and doesn't respond blindly. He is
considered to be more a leader than a manager, a `thinking leader, ' as described
by one reference, who brings his thoughts into the conversation to be sure all
aspects of an issue are contemplated in the decision-making process. References
also point to his strong skills based in his broad spectrum of knowledge in
municipal budgeting and services, and in fact his greatest professional
accomplishments were mentioned in that regard; his commitment to excellence
and to his profession as a CPA, and the City' s recognition from GFOA for
Excellence in Financial Reporting. His strengths are considered to be his
capacity to see the ` big picture ' and to consider issues from multiple angles .
References agreed that Mr. Van Liere would perform well in this role, and
would continue to work for the good of the City.
Springsted City of Atlantic Beach, Florida
Executive Search — City Manager
Nelson Van Liere, CPA
12448 Gately Road South, Jacksonville, Florida, 32225
Home 904-220-4131 , Cell 904-318 -0357
E-mail : vanliere@bellsouth.net
August 25 , 2014
John A. Anzivino
Springsted Incorporated
1564 East Parham Road
Richmond, VA 23228
Reference: City Manager, Atlantic Beach Florida
Dear Mr. Anzivino,
Please accept the enclosed resume in response to your employment advertisement for the City Manager
for the City of Atlantic Beach, Fl.
Having now served as the City Manager for the past nine months, it is my pleasure to formally apply
for the position to serve the community permanently. I feel that the City Commission and I have been
on a journey together through this time of change in our City and we have shared many thoughts and
ideas about the kind of place we want Atlantic Beach to be and about the kind of personnel we want
sewing the citizens. Through this period of change, I have managed turnover of key individuals and
presented a budget including many of the ideas that have been shared with me. I feel that my values
align themselves well with that of our citizens and of the City Commission. I am thoroughly up to
speed on community issues such as the Mayport Road Corridor, Human Rights Ordinance, Marsh
Master Plan, Police Building and the general maintenance condition of City Hall and Russell Park as
well as other facilities. My twenty four years of experience working closely with six different local city
managers has given me the perspective I need to fulfill the role of the City Manager of Atlantic Beach.
My extensive background in finance and budgeting, specifically related to the cities of Atlantic Beach
and Jacksonville Beach, gives me unique insight to our issues. Issues such as the Inter-Local
Agreement, Better Jacksonville Plan, turtle and shore protection as well as recent pension reform are
just a few. In addition to assuming the role of City Manager, I have also been a liaison to the Charter
Review Committee and continue to be the Pension Plan Administrator. I have numerous community
contacts as well as ties to local professionals that already provide a network of information at my
disposal . On a personal note, I have kids that attend the local schools and volunteer at the Gail Baker
Community Center from time to time. Our family is already entrenched into this community and
deeply committed to its success .
I look forward to discussing my experience and qualifications in more detail as to how I may continue
to serve Atlantic Beach in new ways.
Sincerely,
l Nelson Van Liere, CPA
Nelson Van Liere, CPA
12448 Gately Road South, Jacksonville, Florida, 32225
Home 904-220-4131 , Cell 904-318 -0357
E-mail : vanliere @bellsouth. net
Professional Summary
I am an experienced municipal government administrative officer specializing in finance, budgeting,
and customer service for a small city. My background includes 24 years serving the public in the
beachside communities of North Florida.
Attributes
O Community and political awareness ® Process improvement mindset
® Ethical and fair ® Strategic thinking
O Finance and budgeting expertise e Local government operations
O Strong interpersonal skills ® Presentation and software
Work History
Interim City Manager, 12/13 to present Salary — $ 123k
City of Atlantic Beach — Atlantic Beach, Florida
I was appointed to serve as the City Manager, performing all duties as prescribed while concurrently
performing the duties of the Finance Director. Most recently I have developed and presented the
Proposed Annual Operating Budget for consideration. This year' s spending plan is balanced and
addresses the strategic goals of the City.
Finance Director, 2/98 to present Salary — $ 112k
City of Atlantic Beach — Atlantic Beach, Florida
As Finance Director for the past 16 years, the City has enjoyed unqualified audit opinions, balanced
budgets and full compliance with all regulations related to public finance. I also supervise the customer
service and billing where recent improvements to payment processing have just been implemented.
Budget Officer, 5/91 to 2/98 Salary — 48k
City of Jacksonville Beach — Jacksonville Beach, Florida
As Budget Officer, I designed the budget document, created the budget each year for the City Manager
and monitored its compliance throughout the year for accounting accuracy and appropriateness. I
received the Distinguished Budget Award multiple times and assisted Atlantic Beach by creating the
Atlantic Beach Budget Document.
Accountant, Accounting Supervisor / Assistant Finance Director, 4/89 to 5/91
City of Jacksonville Beach — Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Duties began as entry level accounting functions but quickly moved up to the assistant position.
Associate Staff Accountant, 5/88 to 4/89
Smoak, Davis and Nixon CPA
Jacksonville, Florida
Small local audits and tax return preparation.
Accomplishments
Since assuming the City Manager Position
• Created the 2015 Annual Operating Budget
• Refinanced the Utility Revenue Bonds at 2. 33 % saving $ 1 .6 million
• Restructured the Police Department and changed the shifts
• Negotiated new contract for sanitation services
• Restructured the Planning Department
• Restructured the Public Works and Public Utility Departments
• Received an Unqualified Audit Report
• Implemented Interactive Voice Response Payment Processing
• Re-evaluated the Marsh Master Plan and changed the scope to be more in line with the
community
• Moved forward on the police building project with an RFP for design
• Delivered re-use water to Atlantic Beach Country Club
• Shifted focus towards maintenance of facilities and parks
• Offered settlement with Jacksonville on tipping fees
• Offered legislation on annexation for the Atlantic Beach Country Club
• Gave a budget preparation presentation at the Beaches Watch meeting
• Participate on the Charter Review Committee
• Began departmental disaster preparedness training
• Also spent enormous amounts of time with the Human Rights Ordinance and the SPA approval
of 201 Mayport Road.
Education
BBA, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, Florida
Affiliations
Member of Florida Government Finance Officers Association
Member of American Institute of Certified Public accountants
Certification
Florida Certified Public Accountant #29001
References
• Ron Whitesides, CPA, City Auditor, Purvis Gray & Company — (352) 378-2461
• Rich Komando, City Attorney, City of Atlantic Beach — (904) 269- 1111
• Michael O ' Shields, Senior Vice President Morgan Stanley Wealth Mgt. — (904) 543 -7809
• Jim Jarboe, City Manager, Neptune Beach — (904) 270-2400
• Jack McWilliams, III, Esq. Bond Counsel, Lewis Longman & Walker — (904) 353 -6410
• Bob Kosoy, PE, FDOT, Jacksonville Maintenance Engineer — (904) 360-5222
• Craig Dunlap, Financial Advisor, Dunlap & Associates — (407) 678-0977