David Hamilton Agrees To Contract

Hernando Today

BROOKSVILLE - A formal contract agreement paving the way for David Hamilton to become Hernando County's next county administrator moved closer to fruition Wednesday.

Hamilton confirmed to Hernando Today that he accepted the terms of an agreement worked out by the county. He said he is anxious to begin his new duties here.

Contract specifics were not available late Wednesday. But it will not be official until the entire county commission board ratifies it. That is expected to come at Tuesday's board meeting.

County Commissioner Chris Kingsley also said a contract to hire Hamilton has been agreed to in principle by both sides.

As chairman of the county commission, Kingsley is the point man for contract negotiations.

The board voted 3-2 last week to hire Hamilton, who has been the county administrator in Crow Wing, Minn. for the last year-and-a-half.

If agreed to, Hamilton hopes to close out business in Crow Wing in the next several weeks. He plans to assume his new duties in Hernando County by early April or sooner.

Paul Thiede, a county commissioner at Crow Wing, joked that the board will work him hard during his remaining time there.

Thiede said he worked one year with Hamilton and had nothing but praise for Hamilton.

"He's a person who is very up to challenge and not afraid to take a position and move it forward with the advice and consent of the commissioners," Thiede said.

Thiede said Hamilton didn't meet with 100 percent success at all times, especially when he tried to retool the county's budget process.

"This county has not been well organized in the budgeting process and I think he brought some organization to that," Thiede said. "He met some resistance from (department managers)."

If anything, he sometimes tries to "bite off more than he can chew," Thiede said.

Thiede described Hamilton as a happy man, not given to negative emotions.

"I hate to see him go," he said.