Homestead appoints new city manager. She’s worked in public service for 40 years.
The City of Homestead has appointed a new city manager — Cate McCaffrey.
On Wednesday, McCaffrey was appointed city manager by the Homestead City Council by a 4-2 vote, with Mayor Steven Losner and council member Sean Fletcher — both newly elected — dissenting. She had been interim city manager since October, after the former city manager, George Gretsas, resigned.
The South Dade News Leader reported that Gretsas resigned to take a new position as Delray Beach’s city manager. The city agreed to a negotiated employment contract with Gretsas in early October.
The city of Delray Beach did not immediately respond to a request for comment by the Miami Herald.
McCaffrey has been part of the city administration since 2014, when she was hired as assistant city manager. According to a city statement, she helped implement an economic development plan for the city’s Downtown District including the construction of a new City Hall and police headquarters, along with the restoration of Seminole Theater.
“I count it an honor and a privilege to continue to work with this Council and this staff, serving this great City,” said McCaffrey in a statement.
Before coming to Homestead, McCaffrey was the deputy director of Parks and Recreation for the city of Fort Lauderdale. She has worked in public service for 40 years.
McCaffrey declined an interview with the Miami Herald.
While Losner and Fletcher voted against appointing McCaffrey, they said that was because they had been elected only recently and had not worked with her before like the other four council members had.
“I needed a little more time to decide, but I think she is more than capable,” Fletcher said. “We will just have to see how things turn out.”
Losner and Fletcher were elected to serve their first terms as mayor and council member, respectively, in November.
“I wanted more time to see how we fit together and there were some issues I wanted to see how she handled,” Losner said. “She is absolutely capable of the day-to-day. If I think something isn’t being handled properly, I won’t bite my tongue.”
This story was originally published January 25, 2020 at 6:30 AM.
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