BOCC Votes to Search for New County Administrator

BRADENTON – At Tuesday's BOCC meeting, members were asked to consider item #58 on the agenda. It was placed there by Chairwoman Vanessa Baugh, and it asked for a vote on whether to start looking for a new county administrator.

Jumping over a few items on the agenda while there was still a select audience, Chairwoman Baugh suggested she go straight to Item #58, as to bring the public's opinion in on what she was about to say.

Baugh said in all her recent conversations with county administrator, Ed Hunzeker, "É he never said anything about wanting to renew his contract." Baugh was talking about the administrator's five year contract with the county that ends in December of 2017.

With the date just 13 months away, Baugh said she assumed he wasn't interested and suggested now would be the time to discuss shopping for a new administrator.

Baugh didn't take long to turn her pinned-up dissatisfaction with the administrator into a public roast. She kept saying none of it was personal, but the content of her comments during more than two hours of discussion suggested otherwise.

Commissioner Robin DiSabatino actually kicked it up a notch. DiSabatino brought up a variety of criticisms of Hunzeker and made it understood she and the administrator don't see eye to eye as much as she would like.

DiSabatino commended Baugh for her actions of standing up to the obstructionism that often plagues the commission. "We have enough baggage. It's time to move on."

Commissioner Benac said she was caught off guard when she read the agenda, stating that she was disappointed the topic didn't go to a workshop for discussion first. Benac made it clear from the start that she was in complete support of not considering changing administrators at this stage of the game.

Many of the 30 or so local citizens who showed up during the afternoon segment of the meeting must have heard possible trouble was lurking, because they came with pro-Hunzeker endorsements in hand.

Ed Chiles, owner/operator of several Anna Maria Island restaurants, said, "This is important for those who have interaction with the county." Chiles went on to say he knew a lot associates that have worked with Hunzeker and have great respect for him. Chiles said Hunzeker had some hard decisions to make and got us through it. "Now things are looking up again."

Ex-county Commissioner Michael Gallen, now Vice-President of Manatee Chamber of Commerce, said he and his coworkers just heard about the possible change. "This is an important decision and doesn't have to be made today," Gallen said.

John Horn, owner of the Anna Maria Island Oyster Bar, also spoke in defense of keeping the current administrator. "With Ed, we have put so much good faith in his hand. He didn't let us down."

But all of the cuddly comments were cut short and the changing horses in mid-stream metaphors were worn out, but the lack of confidence just kept coming.

Commissioner Charles Smith said he never heard Hunzeker say he wanted to re-up his contract until Smith recently asked him. Hunzeker told Smith he was interested in renewing his contract. Smith told the Administrator, "I will not support you," and that he (Smith), said the county, "Éneeds to make some changes, new eyes, new ears and a new direction."

There was a lot of talk about what is legal and what putting out a curtain call for a new administrator would entail. There was a lot of innuendo, claims of improper procedures and name calling; Baugh claimed, "I was told that if I didn't put this down (the idea of looking for a new administrator), my career was ruined." The 10-hour commission meeting finally brought forward a vote of 4 to 3 to advertise for a new Manatee County Administrator.