INDIAN ROCKS BEACH - Al Grieshaber is scheduled to return to work next Monday after a long medical hiatus and by then perhaps his status as IRB's city manager may be clarified.
Will he stay? Will he go?
If he stays, will he continue to pursue other jobs, which has been his signature since February when he was officially hired.
The situation is confusing to just about all observers. He announced that he had been selected as manager of a community called Sun 'n Lake near Sebring.
Sun 'n Lake, in its official newsletter, has designated him as their chosen manager.
But Grieshaber has kept the balls of doubt in the air with some members of the commission believing he should be kissed off, others wanting to keep him and still others keeping a low profile, giving the impression that Grieshaber - rather than elected officials, the peoples' choices - has the power and is calling the shots.
Victor Wood, an unsuccessful candidate for mayor in March but a thoughtful and prudent citizen who has stayed active in city affairs, has a balanced view of Grieshaber.
"I appreciate the talents and skills (Grieshaber) brings to his job. He has done a lot," Wood wrote in an e-mail to Mayor Bill Ockunzzi last month.
But then Wood lowered the boom. "However," he wrote, "his constant quest seeking another position leads me to believe the commission must take counter action or risk being held hostage by one who wants to go elsewhere."
The history of Grieshaber's tenure in the CM office has been that of a job seeker - elsewhere. Citrus County (twice), Minneola, St. Cloud, Safety Harbor, Manatee County and Tavares.
And now he appears to have been hired at Sun 'n Lake. Why this situation has been up in the air makes many wonder. Apparently Grieshaber's health situation has been the chief factor.
In applying for the Sun 'n Lake job, Grieshaber submitted his information on stationery that listed New Smyrna Beach as his home. The phone contact was the cell phone paid for by the taxpayers of Indian Rocks Beach.
Presumably, Grieshaber lives in Indian Rocks Beach or nearby while employed here. New Smyrna Beach is on the east coast.
Questions have surrounded Grieshaber's status since he was hired in February. Even at the point of hiring there was confusion as he neglected to reveal with any alacrity whether he accepted the job following the commission's affirmative vote.
Since then there have been jaunts all over middle Florida seeking other jobs, a source of consternation to some officials, particularly Commissioner Jose Coppen, who has urged, like Wood, that the situation be resolved.
Wood's view, expressed in his missive to Ockunzzi, is that Grieshaber's contract should be reviewed and notice given to the manager that it is not going to be renewed. Then, he said, "I would being a search for another CM immediately."
He finished with this - "A mini crisis is upon us. Show courage and take action now."
With Grieshaber's presumed return to the scene next Monday, the opportunity will present itself for action by the commission.