By ANNE LINDBERG, TB Reporter

Reid Silverboard offered a separation agreement to city commissioners. They accepted it Tuesday night.

TREASURE ISLAND – It took three tries, but the Treasure Island City Commission voted unanimously Tuesday (March 21) to accept the city manager’s separation agreement.

As part of the deal, Reid Silverboard will continue as city manager until May 8. In return, the city will pay Silverboard about $128,619 gross as a severance package. Silverboard will also waive any legal claims he might have against the city. Both sides agreed not to talk badly about each other.

Mayor Robert Minning said he believes the deal was “an amiable and humane way to move forward.”

Silverboard could not be reached for comment today (March 22).

Silverboard, who has been Treasure Island city manager for about 10 years, tendered an offer to resign in the wake of the March 14 election, which saw two new commissioners come onto the five-member board.

Both Deborah Toth and Ralph Kennedy had said they wanted to change the city administration. Added to that, Silverboard said, one sitting member of the commission had run on that same platform in an earlier election.

“I can count,” Silverboard said during Tuesday’s commission meeting.

The city has big issues facing it, among them beach renourishment and upgrading the causeway. Silverboard said he believed that any fixes he recommended would face opposition by certain factions in the community simply because he was the one who made the suggestions. Some people, he said, automatically opposed anything he proposes.

“I just don’t think I have the confidence of the community the way I want to,” Silverboard said. “That is the reason I made the offer to enter into a severance agreement. … I think it’s better that we part ways.”

He added, “I have offered an agreement to part friendly with kisses and hugs and go our separate ways.”

Under the agreement, Silverboard will receive six months’ salary and fringe benefits ($79,265), accrued vacation and holiday pay ($42,974.46), a longevity bonus ($613.25) and 25 percent of his accrued sick leave ($6,665.73). The total cost to the city – about $128,619. Treasure Island will pay for health, dental and vision insurance for Silverboard through Nov. 30. The city will also continue to indemnify him in any lawsuits against him that arose from his employment as city manager.

Silverboard agreed to forego any raise that he might have been due in October. He also waived any legal actions he might have against Treasure Island.

Both sides agreed that they “will make no disparaging remarks or untrue statements about the other party.”

Although the eventual vote to accept the agreement was unanimous, it took awhile to get there.

Commissioner Larry Lunn made a motion early in the discussion to accept Silverboard’s proposal but got no second.

Later, he repeated the motion, which Minning seconded. The vote was 3-2 against accepting the deal.

After Silverboard spoke, Lunn again made the motion and Minning seconded it. That time, it passed.

For information about Treasure Island, go to mytreasureisland.com.

Treasure Island | City Manager Resigns | Reid Silverboard | TB Reporter

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