by Matt Wright
Shane Horn, Lakeland’s City Manager for the past 3 ½ years, has resigned. His last day will be June 10, 2022.
Mr. Horn recently submitted his resignation after taking a city manager position in Petoskey, Michigan. That job will take Mr. Horn back to his longtime home of Michigan and will get him and his wife closer to family.
Mr. Horn was hired after a national search for the Lakeland City Manager position after Jim Atkinson resigned to take a position at Lakeland engineering firm, Askew, Hargraves, Harcourt (A2H). Mr. Atkinson was later elected to the Lakeland Board of Commissioners, a position which he still holds.
The city manager’s position is a critical position for Lakeland, as any other city managed government. Elected officials in Lakeland are only part time and they appoint an executive officer (a city manager) to oversee all of the day-to-day operations of the city. That includes drafting a yearly budget, managing all city staff, and implementing any policy decisions from the board.
A search will now begin for a new City Manager, a process that’s expected to last months. Once candidates are identified the Board of Commissioners will interview candidates and vote on the new hire.
