Commissioners still split over hiring new administrator

A report intended to highlight Manatee County government’s accomplishments during 2016 instead exposed the fact that the county commission remains divided on a decision made last year — the decision to not renew County Administrator Ed Hunzeker’s contract.

During Tuesday’s commission meeting, Hunzeker delivered his 2016 Annual Report, which highlighted the many accomplishments that occurred over the past year, including the voter-adoption of the half-cent infrastructure sales tax.

But instead of merely celebrating the county’s accomplishments during 2016, the commissioners revisited a decision made in December— the 4-3 vote to proceed with a national search to find Hunzeker’s successor, rather than extend Hunzeker’s contract, which currently expires Jan. 29, 2018.

Chairwoman Betsy Benac, who voted against a search, said she’s talked with department directors, who are very concerned.

“Our job is to lead this community in policy decisions and the staff, especially the department heads, are asking where we’re going, what is the transition, what is the plan?” Benac said. “It isn’t about just a hiring process. It’s about what you want this government to become because from my perspective, I’ve seen the successes and I guess that is why it is disturbing me so much that this board is willing to say, ‘Hey, we need to change. We need big changes.’ I want to know what they are, what you hope to achieve because I don’t agree with that.”

But Commissioner Vanessa Baugh, who voted in favor of the search and originally brought the idea forward, said the board voted for this in December.

“There are many that disagree with you on this,” she said. “There are many that disagree with other commissioners, but the bottom line is we do need to have a conversation.”

That conversation is expected to begin to take place at 9 a.m. Thursday when the commission is having a “Strategic Planning Session” at the Manatee County Public Safety Center, 2101 47th Terrace E., Bradenton.

“This board has voted to change that leadership, to change what we are doing and I want to hear in a positive manner on Thursday, and that’s what I’m saying, what it is you want to achieve by exercising this change so that we can go forward with a process,” Benac said.

The commission has to come to an agreement as to how the search is done and what exactly the change that they are looking for is, Benac said.

“The thing that concerns me is all I’ve heard is the negatives,” she said. “We heard a lot of positives today. This board is going to be charged on behalf of this community for finding a new administrator.”

Staff, particularly the department directors, are concerned about their positions and where they stand because “they feel that they’ve had a very good experience in the last eight to 10 years,” Benac said.

“They are feeling that they are losing their leadership that has been successful,” she said.

Commissioner Robin DiSabatino, who voted for the search, said it is frustrating because nothing has happened since the decision was made to not renew Hunzeker’s contract.

“I personally don’t think our chair should be heading up this part of the agenda because you are clearly so biased on one side,” DiSabatino said. “You are not being impartial.”

DiSabatino said she’s met with employee,s including several department directors, and “they are looking for a change right now.”

“When certain people talk to one person, they can say one thing,” she said. “When they talk to another person, they can say something else. A lot of it might be self-serving because they don’t know where their positions will be.”

Commissioner Priscilla Whisenant Trace, who voted against the search, said they only have one chance at finding the next administrator. Otherwise, it will be costly.

“We are only going to have one chance,” she said. “We’ve got to get it right.”

This story was originally published February 7, 2017 at 5:07 PM with the headline "Commissioners still split over hiring new administrator."