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Manager focused on infrastructure, development.
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LIVE OAK — Three weeks after Larry Sessions took the job, the Live Oak city manager’s office is still mostly barren.
The city’s code of ordinances sit alone on the bookshelf behind Sessions’ desk and one of the new electric water meters the city is installing is joined on his desk by a small stack of folders of recent interviewees for an open receptionist position.
But the city’s interim administrator has added three quotes on a dry erase board, three mantras that he said sum up him and his leadership for the city.
“Those three things right there are how I am,” Sessions said Monday.
One of the quotes on the board, “Truth has no defense against a good determined to believe a lie,” has occurred recently Sessions said without going into any more details.
But another, “In the pursuit of excellence there is no finish line,” is a statement that Sessions said he has carried with him wherever he’s gone.
Currently also serving as the administrator of the Suwannee Valley Transit Authority, a position he’s held since April 2015, Sessions is a former Suwannee County commissioner and serves on the Suwannee River Water Management District board as well as the Suwannee County Conservation District.
He worked previously as an operations manager with Mayo Fertilizer, Quest Aviation and UPS in Gainesville, Lake City, Daytona, Jacksonville and Valdosta, Georgia.
“You don’t ever quit because you’ll never get there,” Sessions said. “But you have to strive to get there. That’s always been my UPS one forever. Walk in to a new place and it would go on my board.”
The final quote is simple and straightforward: “Communication is the key!”
“That 13-letter word down there on the end is a big problem for a lot of people,” Sessions said.
But communication won’t be a problem for Live Oak’s interim manager, he said. His third day on the job, Sessions said he filled his office with chairs and called every person that works at Live Oak City Hall into the room for a quick talk, trying to cut out any problems before they started. He said in addition to addressing a concern about his dual leadership roles at the city and the SVTA, Sessions used the meeting to let the employees know he was always open to hear from them about any potential issues.
“I said you can come in my door, it’s always open,” Sessions said. “If you have a problem, you come to me. If we can’t hash it out, nobody can hash it out. I’m going to work with everybody I can.”
Sessions’ work with the city, much like his previous stops, is to try to streamline processes and make the operation run more efficiently.
So far, that has meant learning who works in what department and who is responsible for what task. It also means a close eye on the bottom line, spending the majority of his time so far working with water and sewer and the finance department.
“I’m going to learn and do my best to improve what we have going on,” he said, adding he’s already begun to look at the city’s budget for next year while also instructing staff that if there’s a cheaper way to do things, that will occur.
Session added that he hopes his time with the city will also lead to lessening the burden on the city’s residents. To that end, Sessions is open to development within the city, as long as it is the “right growth.” He has also hired a grant writer for the city — Kat Meeks Bass — with the instructions to focus on infrastructure, hoping to fix the city’s water and sewer lines and then start on trying to pave additional roads.
That growth is currently occurring on the city’s north end near the Interstate 10 and U.S. Highway 129 interchange. Sessions said the city is willing to help developers near there continue to bring in additional business.
“For them to develop that, I think it’s fantastic for us,” Sessions said of the old rock mine that now has unearthed a new Publix and Ag Pro with additional room for growth along U.S. 129. “There’s a long list of people that I think you’ll see coming in that will benefit the community.”
That benefit will come with less tax burden on the individual residents. But to make it happen, Sessions said he will look to make the city more attractive. He wants to put the city on equal footing with the county when it comes to rules and regulations.
“It’s all going to be on one page, that’s going to be my goal,” he said. “If you move 500 feet, there’s not a different set of rules.”
Sessions, who gave a commitment to the city through at least the end of the year, said he will be willing to stay as long as the City Council wants him to do the job.
He added his experience with logistics and his understanding of building from constructing his own home will help him transition into leading the city.
“I’ve got a lot of practical experience in doing things,” he said.
Among that experience has been turning around the Suwannee Valley Transit Authority following “unallowed payouts” to two previous members of administration including Administrator Gwendolyn Pra.
Now, he hopes to improve the city’s fortunes as well.
That is the lone reason he listened when council members reached out to him about filling the role on an interim basis.
“I’m one who likes to take on challenges,” he said. “This is another challenge. My whole career at UPS was fixing places. I just like going in, digging in and try to figure out ways to make things better.
“I just want to fix things in Live Oak. It’s now my hometown. I want to make Live Oak better.”
By JAMIE WACHTER on Friday, May 12, 2023Subhead
Hayes offered task of replacing Croft, who leaves after 21 years.
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LIVE OAK — For the first time in more than two decades, the City of Live Oak is looking for a new fire chief.
Chad Croft is retiring after 36 years with the Live Oak Fire Department, the past 21 as chief, “on or about” June 2, according a retirement letter submitted to the city on April 20.
At the Live Oak City Council meeting Tuesday, Interim City Manager Larry Sessions told the council he has already offered the Assistant Chief Sidney Hayes the job of replacing Croft.
Sessions said he and Hayes have had extensive talks and Hayes is considering his offer.
“Chad has had a great career here,” Sessions said.
Croft did not attend Tuesday’s meeting. Sessions and Mayor Frank Davis said the city will honor Croft for his service at a future meeting.
“I feel my greatest accomplishments were not what was created, but what was prevented, thus the preservation of lives and property though timely response, maintained equipment, well trained staff and the grace of God,” Croft wrote in the letter.
Croft added he hopes to spend the time prior to his retirement further training the LOFD command staff so they are ready for expanded roles upon his departure.
“It is my hope that this City and the Live Oak Fire Department stays the course by striving for excellence when keeping our citizens safe and protected with the quality of service that has been 120 years in the making,” Croft added in the letter, also thanking city staff, management, the firefighters over the years and his family for their support.
Councilman Matt Campbell, who is a physical education teacher at Suwannee Pineview Elementary, said Croft and the LOFD were always willing to help the schools with water days and anyway else they could.
“He’s decided to hang up the hose,” Campbell said. “He was always well-respected throughout our community.”
LOHA APPOINTMENT
The council approved the appointment of Jawanna Coker as a tenant commissioner on the Live Oak Housing Authority board.
Davis recommended Coker’s appointment following short introductions from Coker as well as fellow applicants Shirley Cooper and Christina Johnson. Coker will fill a vacant seat on the board until September.
Her appointment was approved by a 4-1 vote with Councilman Tommie Jefferson dissenting.
Jefferson, whose motion to not approve Coker’s appointment failed for lack of a second, said he preferred Johnson fill the seat due to her “accessibility” that she mentioned in her presentation.
Davis said he believed any of the applicants would be available for other tenants when needed. He added that all appeared qualified and could do the job.
“I can tell they all have a heart for the community,” Davis said. “I could flip a coin here and I think the housing authority would do well with any of these candidates.”
Jefferson also led a discussion later in the meeting, echoed by Councilwoman Lynda Owens, about the city’s policy and procedure when it came to making board appointments.
City Clerk John Gill said that Brantly Helvenston IV, a current member of the LOHA board, is looking to step down from that position but would remain until a replacement is found. Council President David Burch asked how the city could advertise to fill that position.
The tenant position was not advertised, depending on word of mouth to attract applicants.
“If we’re going to fill a position, it should be uniform,” Owens said.
Davis said he agreed.
WALKER PARKING
Sessions also informed the council after previous discussions about the lack of striped parking on Walker Avenue that the roadway is not wide enough to legally park there.
According to Sessions, he personally measured the roadway at 40.6 feet wide. According to Florida Department of Transportation guidelines, the travel lanes require 24 feet and an additional 8.5 feet are needed for parking on each side.
“The street just isn’t wide enough to do it,” Sessions said.
Owens stressed that it wasn’t the city’s decision to get rid of the parking.
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Council Meeting Video
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Part 1 - City Council meeting 1/23/24
Part 2 - Meeting 1/23/24
Part 3 - 1/23/24
Part 1 - City Council meeting
Part 2 - Meeting
Part 3 -
Part 4 - City Council meeting
Part 5 - Meeting
Part 6 -
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