The town of Century has seen its share of upheaval over the last several years with a revolving door of leadership from the town’s mayor to members of the town council. This year sees the return of former mayor Benjamin “Benny” Boutwell along with new faces on the council, and for the first time Century will soon have a town administrator.
Leaders hope these changes will help move the growing town forward and create more opportunities for better services and more industry for citizens.
“There’s something about the magic of Century, and sometimes we just have to overlook some of the other things and look deeper beneath the surface and know that magic is there, that spark is there,” said newly appointed council member Lizbeth A. “Sparkie” Harrison.
With the election of Boutwell in March and the “town council fully committed to positive change,” Century leaders say they want a professional administrator who can help “modernize its operations and reinforce public trust,” according to the job description.
Century’s revolving door of leadership
The job description notes the challenges Century has faced in administrative leadership and delivery of services and says the creation of this position is to “ensure stability and success moving forward.”
The town has seen a number of elected leaders come and go over the past several years.
Boutwell was first voted in as Century’s mayor in 2020, but he resigned in 2023 following a clash with town council members.
Luis Gomez stepped in as interim mayor after Boutwell abruptly resigned. He was elected to the position by default in 2024 when no one ran against him.
Gomez then resigned in January citing medical reasons, and the council agreed to appoint council member Alicia Johnson as mayor until a special election could be held.
Boutwell was re-elected as mayor after winning the special election with no opposition.
On July 22, the town council appointed Harrison to Council Seat 5 by resolution.
She was the only candidate to qualify for the open seat last month after Seat 5 councilmember Sandra McMurray-Jackson resigned for personal reasons.
Harrison has been director of Pensacola State College Century Center for three years and moved to town about a year ago to become more involved in the community.
In the time she has worked in Century, she has attended most of the council meetings and previously lost a bid for a council seat.
She is excited about the new opportunity to serve on the council and supports hiring an administrator to help lead the town she has grown to love.
“I think it’s a fantastic idea,” Harrison said. “It helps with some of the stress on the town clerk, and the town administrator can answer questions from the mayor, can answer questions from the council and also serve as a buffer and answer some questions from the general public.”
What Century wants in a town administrator
According to the job description, the town administrator will serve as the chief operations officer (COO) charged with managing the daily operations of the government, executing the mayor and council’s strategic initiatives, and delivering efficient and responsive public services.
Town leaders say Century needs a proactive and experienced leader “who tells elected officials what they need to hear, not just what they want to hear,” per the job description.
The administrator will report directly to the elected mayor and work in close coordination with the town council.
“We definitely need a city administrator for leadership purposes and to guide the town in the right direction,” Century Council Seat Two member Henry Cunningham said.
The process is underway to select someone to fill the new position, which will pay between $112,000 and $137,000. The administrator will report to the mayor and work closely with the town council and provide oversight and coordination of all municipal departments and functions.
A selection committee met on July 22 to whittle down the list of 17 applicants for town administrator, but they have not yet made a final decision.
They plan to discuss the options again during the first town council meeting in August and possibly make a recommendation.
Seat Four council member John Bass said he is impressed with the list of applicants and believes the addition of a town administrator will help the growing city not only manage staff, but also multi-million projects like Century’s water and sewer utility system that has undergone a turnaround.
“When you have so many multi-million-dollar projects, I feel like you need someone full time to help monitor those projects to their completion,” Bass said, “and help give the mayor some guidance and assistance moving forward.”
Town leaders say there is reason to believe in Century’s future, especially with the addition of Brazilian-based company Algaplast Corp. in 2023.
The company produces plastic and rubber component parts, primarily for the oil and gas industry, and it opened its first operations in the United States in Century.
Harrison said the company already wants to expand.
“They could have gone anywhere in Escambia County, and they came here and they’re wanting to grow here,” Harrison said. “If an international company can see the potential, then it’s time for the generation who didn’t see Century flourish in the past. Maybe this can give them hope and help spark industry.”
Century leaders hope to have the new administrator in place by August.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: After years of turmoil, Century seeks town administrator to ‘reinforce public trust.’
Reporting by Mollye Barrows, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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