NP has new manager, safety director (PBP) 6-20-07Accession #ZDa0.533
tiew manager,
.safety director
THOMAS CORDY/Staff Photographer
Jimmy Knight (right) is new village manager for North Palm Beach and. Steve Canfield has been named public safety director. Knight
previously held the public safety director position. Both men worked for 25 years with the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
Steve Can -field, 52
Position: North Palm Beach public safety director
Annual Pay: $105,000
Employees: 80
Background: Retired in 2003 after 25 years with Broward
County Sheriff's Office. Served on road patrol, SWAT team
and police chief of Deerfield Beach and Central Broward.
Personal: Married to Cindy. Two grown children.
Hobbies: Playing bass and acoustic guitar and fiddle.
Playing hockey.
Quote: "A wise manager lets people be creative. Who gets
credit is not important. What counts is getting the best
ideas implemented."
Jimmy Knight, 50
Position: North Palm Beach village manager
Annual Pay: $134,000
Employees: About 200
Background: Three years as village public safety director;
one year as private consultant; 25 years with Broward
County Sheriff's Office.
Personal: Married to Sharon, four children and two
grandsons.
Hobbies: Boating and fishing.
Quote: "My law enforcement experience should be a big
help as village manager. I feel comfortable with village
employees, and I have a solid understanding of how
things work around here."
Both men have years
of experience in law
enforcement.
By BILL DIPAOLO
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
NORTH PALM BEACH
Jimmy Knight already
misses police work, but
the new village manager
expects his new job to be
just as challenging.
"Coming from a para-
military organization," said
Knight, who was the village
public safety director for
three years, "I'm used to a
very structured organiza-
tion. I'm going to have to
loosen up a little bit. And
the people here are going
to have to tighten up a little
bit."
Knight, 50, recently took
the full-time manager posi-
tion after holding the job
temporarily for about four
months. When Knight took
over after former Village
Manager Mark Bates left in
January, he did not plan to
make the move permanent.
After all, his background
was in law enforcement,
including 25 years with the
Broward County Sheriff's
Office.
"My heart is in public
safety. That's what all my
training has been. Sure, it's
not the norm I'm used to.
But I started to like it after
a while," Knight said of the
village manager position.
After watching him on
the job, village officials of-
fered him the position and
he started April 26.
"He knows the commu-
nity. He's very organized.
He's a natural," said Village
Council President Pro Tem
David Norris.
As public safety direc-
tor Knight, a North Palm
Beach resident, supervised
about 80 people and had
an annual budget of about
$7 million. The village
manager supervises about
200 people with. an annual
budget of about $20 million.
Knight's pay increased
about five percent to about
$134,000 when he accepted
the new job.
Despite the tripling
of staff and budget, said
Knight, the jobs are similar.
"I've been in public
service so long, there is
not much that can pop up
that will surprise me," said
Knight.
One of the first jobs for
Knight was selecting some-
one for his old job as public
safety director. When 25-
year Broward County Sher-
iff `s Office veteran Steve
Canfield applied for the job,
Knight said he knew he had
the right person. Knight
also had worked with the
Broward sheriff's office
including time as a district
chief of North Lauderdale,
a northwest Broward com-
munity that was under
contract with the sheriff's
office for police service.
"We worked for. years
at the same time with
BSO, but we never actu-
ally worked together," said
Knight. "But I knew enough
about him that I respected
his ability."
Canfield, 52, started
as a road deputy with the
Broward sheriff's office
and spent about a dozen
years on the county's SWAT
team. He was district f
Deerfield Beach for five
years beginning in 1995.
Deerfield Beach has about
80,000 residents. North
Palm Beach has about
12,000 residents.
"He's real by -the -book.
All business. Very compe-
tent. He's not the type of
guy who does lots of talk-
ing," said Deerfield Beach
Fire Chief Tony Stravino, a
30-year veteran who worked
with Canfield. "I can under-
stand why he wants to work
for a small community. You
get older, you want to get
back to your roots."
After three years as Cen-
tral Broward district chief
for the Broward sheriff's of-
fice, Canfield retired about
five years ago. Boredom set
in after a few months of the
usual traveling and relax
ing, and he decided to go
back into pollee work. He
applied for police chief posi-
tions in Venice in southwest
Florida and Juno Beach but
was not selected. When the
North Palm Beach position
came to his attention, he
applied. He started the job
May 14.
"I had a good time for -
about six months after re-
tiring. That was enough,"
said. Canfield, who has
lived . in the small commu-
nity `of Parkland in north-
west ' Broward for about 20
years. "I wanted back in
_
public service."
Keeping public con-
tact is key to good police
protection, said Canfield.
Since taking the job, he
has walked along U.S. 1 and
Northlake Boulevard, talk-
ing to residents and busi-
ness people. After hearing
that home burglaries usu-
ally increase after schools
go on summer vacation,
he beefed up neighborhood
road patrols.
"We increased our vis-
ibility," said Canfield. "It's
part of our plan to keep
strong communications