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Collier fires deputy county manager for ethics violation

Sean Callahan failed to disclose work as lobbyist
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Posted at 11:48 AM, Jan 28, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-28 13:13:29-05

NAPLES, Fla. — Collier County has fired its deputy county manager for an ethics violation.

Sean Callahan was terminated from the position because he did not tell the county that he also works for a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. Collier County manager Mark Isackson told Callahan he was terminated in a letter dated Jan. 20, and Callahan’s last day was Jan. 23.

“It has come to my attention that you have engaged in secondary employment since March 2021, without proper notification to me or the organization,” Isackson wrote in his letter to Callahan. “…As a result, I no longer have confidence in your ability to serve in this role.”

On March 3, 2021, Brownstein Hyatt Faber Schreck announced on its website that it had hired Callahan to its federal government relations team.

Isackson said Callahan’s secondary employment violated Collier County’s Code of Ethics and Outside Employment policies.

Isackson recently announced that he would retire effective July 1, and the county is preparing for a job search to replace him. In late 2021, Callahan was acting commissioner as Isackson took a two-months off due to COVID-19.

Amy Patterson is the new deputy county manager, according to the government’s website. Patterson has been with the county for more than 20 years, her profile states.