UPDATE: Karen Hoskins got 68 points and Lydia Smith 44. Hoskins is the new interim city manager.
EARLIER STORY:
The Riviera Beach City Council narrowed down the list of candidates for the interim city manager position to two: Lydia Roxborough Smith, and Karen Hoskins. Neither one of them have experience as city manager.
On Thursday, council will interview both candidates and conduct background checks. This after council hired a candidate sight unseen last month. Council did not interview James Poag or conduct a background check.
A WPTV investigation found Poag had been fired from a similar position at the Village of Wellington in 2016 and had been arrested for domestic battery in 2005.
Poag decided not to take the position, citing WPTV’s report.
Then the current interim city manager, Troy Perry, announced he wanted to leave the employment of the city as soon as possible.
Now, the search for someone to replace the former city manager, Jonathan Evans, who was fired without explanation after only 6 months on the job, is down to Karen Hoskins and Lydia Roxborough Smith.
Hoskins is an internal candidate. She has worked for the city since 1988 and currently serves as the assistant finance director. She has worked as interim department head in the finance department and has received good evaluations throughout her tenure at the city.
Lydia Roxborough Smith lists on her resume she currently works as the chief financial officer for Roxborough Medical Facility.
According to WPTV’s research, that company is located in Jamaica. On it’s website, under the “about us” section, it shows a woman in a lab coat with the name Avery Roxborough embroidered on it.
Smith also lists that she was the chief financial officer and Vice President for an entertainment company called Aljdaas Isles.
The company’s twitter page has only 15 followers. The website is a dead end and we could find no business or tax records for this company.
Smith also claims she worked as an executive financial consultant for E-Z Weld Inc. from 2009-2009. According to records, that company dissolved in 2006.
Smith has filed for bankruptcy in 2010 and 2012.
She doesn’t list a year of graduation for any of her degrees that she says she earned at for-profit online schools.
