Wanted: County government’s next boss

With a little more than a year left on Ed Hunzeker’s contract, the Manatee County Commission will start discussions Tuesday about the process to find his successor as county administrator.

In her last meeting as commission chairwoman, Vanessa Baugh has requested the item “national search for a county administrator” be discussed Tuesday. Hunzeker’s contract ends Jan. 29, 2018.

“With the new board being on the dais, it gives us a year before Ed’s contract expires, so it gives us good time to find a good replacement,” she said.

Hunzeker, who was first appointed Manatee County administrator in November 2006, mostly recently had his contract extended in January 2013 when commissioners approved a new five-year contract, which included a $34,720.20 annual pay raise, increasing his salary to $203,845 annually. But in return, Hunzeker forfeited a $337,411.83 payout for which he was eligible under a state retirement program.

“Manatee Board of County Commissioners hired Hunzeker as county administrator for his solid background in finance and his strong vision for the future of Manatee County,” according to the county’s website. “His intuition, approachability and intelligence make him a natural leader.”

The county administrator is “responsible for carrying out the policies and directives of the commission and for the development and management of the county’s annual operating and capital improvement budgets,” the county’s website states.

When looking for someone to run the everyday operations of the county, Baugh said it is important commissioners have plenty of time to interview the applicants and make the decision.

“We just need to make sure we have ample time to make the decisions that will need to be made,” she said.

The search for the next county administrator should be national, Baugh said.

“I think it’s important to look across the nation,” she said. “At this point, Manatee County is growing quite a bit. The way we’ve done things in the past may not be the way that we want or need to do things in the future. ... I think it’s a great time to make sure we are more transparent to the citizens of this county and someone that is committed to the same values as the commission has and someone that will know how to move us in the future.”

This story was originally published December 9, 2016 at 1:27 PM with the headline "Wanted: County government’s next boss."