After being chosen from among 53 applicants for the position of Indian River Shores Town Manager, retired Undersheriff Jim Harpring will dive right in to work on Friday morning to replace Joe Griffin, who resigned in February for health reasons.
Harpring, 58, a longtime island resident, retired from the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office in 2020 after nearly 16 years of service.
Hired by Sheriff Roy Raymond, Harpring most recently served as General Counsel for Sheriff Deryl Loar before being promoted to undersheriff – an administrative job which closely resembles the duties of a municipal manager, according to Shores Mayor Brian Foley.
“When you think about the undersheriff job, Mr. Harpring was kind of the COO of the Sheriff’s Office, so he has extensive project management experience,” said Foley, who interviewed Harpring and three other finalists on April 10. “We’ve got the town hall center project in progress.”
Foley said the Shores town council had a very tough time deciding between the top two applicants, Harpring and Assistant County Administrator Mike Zito.
“With the City of Vero Beach utility issues still going forward, both Mr. Zito and Mr. Harpring both have solid backgrounds for being able to really dig into the details of the issue,” Foley said.
“It was very, very close … a very difficult decision to make,” Foley said, adding that he was grateful to Griffin for doing the tough work of narrowing a vast field of hopefuls to a handful of highly qualified candidates – two local, one from South Florida and two from out of state.
An applicant from Georgia removed himself from consideration, leaving four men to complete a full day of 30-minute individual interviews with each of the five council members.
“We had four really good finalists; I think any one of them could do the job,” Foley said.
Knowledge of local issues and people, plus the need to fill the position swiftly, gave the two Indian River County residents an edge over competitors who would need time to relocate to the area.
Both local finalists were also seasoned attorneys, an important factor to provide continuity in anticipation that 83-year-old Town Attorney Chester Clem, who has held the position for more than 40 years, would retire during the next town manager’s tenure. Harpring is a graduate of New England Law in Boston, and a member of the Florida Bar Association.
Ultimately, Harpring’s ability to start immediately, as he’s not required to give notice to a current employer, tipped the scales in his favor.
Town Treasurer Heather Christmas had taken on the interim town manager duties, but the town is now deep in budget season and needs the full complement of its small-town staff.
Since the town spends 60 percent of its budget on its triple-trained Public Safety Department, Harpring’s law enforcement experience will bring a useful outside perspective to bear on public safety staffing, expenses and other matters, Foley said.
Harpring’s contract for an annual salary of $145,000 plus a town vehicle and town contribution to a pension plan was set to be considered at Thursday’s town council meeting.
Foley said he did not expect any problems as the council fully vetted the contract provisions at last week’s public meeting.
On Monday, Harpring said that – provided the council votes to approve his contract – he is looking forward to diving into his new position on Friday.
“I am passionate about public service and look forward to serving as town manager and contributing to the Town in such a meaningful way.
“As a barrier island resident for over 30 years and a former resident of Indian River Shores, I have a unique insight into and have relished coastal living in our community,” Harpring said. “I am committed to preserving and enhancing all the unique characteristics that make Indian River Shores such a wonderful place to live.”
Harpring has served on numerous local, regional and statewide boards and councils, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission.
In times of crisis and turmoil during his tenure at the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, Harpring often dealt with the media and fielded difficult questions. He served during numerous declared emergencies due to hurricanes and managed a large agency in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the Treasure Coast Public Safety Complex at Indian River State College.
“My professional background in public service and the private sector for more than 30 years uniquely aligns with the role of Town Manager. My career has included wide-ranging experience as an attorney and litigator, managing partner of a law firm, and serving as both general counsel and undersheriff for the Sheriff’s Office,” Harpring said when asked what he brings to the Town of Indian River Shores.
“I have an excellent working relationship with elected officials, community and business leaders, and the public. I believe this will be of great benefit to the citizens of Indian River Shores.”
Harpring lives in Castaway Cove with wife Sandi, a former aide to then-Rep. Debbie Mayfield, and their two children. In his off time, Harpring emcees live comedy shows at Riverside Theatre’s Comedy Zone and practices standup comedy as a hobby.