Elections boss wants more money

Supervisor of Elections Annie Williams said she is going to ask county commissioners at an upcoming meeting for more money to "fulfill the requirements of this office."

Williams said she has already taken steps to reduce her budget by cutting 2 percent from her $101,718 salary and requiring her 12 staffers (which includes one part-timer) to take 12 unpaid furlough days.

Commissioners last month directed Williams to shave $43,000 from her 2010 budget and suggested she use volunteers instead of paid poll workers for next year's primary and general election to reach that goal.

But Williams has resisted the idea, saying she is bound by Florida law to pay people who work the polls unless they sign a waiver.

But how many people, if given the choice of working for free or getting paid, would do the job, she asked.

Typically, Williams maintains a bank of about 700 people who have expressed intent to help operate the polls during an election.

She then sent an e-mail to commissioners asking them where they think she should cut. So far, other than the volunteer suggestion, the board has been silent about other options.

Williams responded by posting a poll worker form on her Web site, which spells out the waiver of payment option. As of Wednesday, Williams said she had two or three people willing to volunteer.

Civic activist Jason Sager has been soliciting volunteers for Williams from his nonprofit Department of Constitutional Protection and said recently he came up with 20 takers.

But Williams said she has not heard from Sager.

Williams' reluctance to use volunteers is shared by Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning who sent a letter to county commissioners encouraging them not to use volunteers for fear they would not have same level of commitment as paid workers and would drop out when election time draws near.

Browning said poll workers deserve to be paid because they are put through an extensive training process.

Williams shares those views.

"I'm not going to deviate from state law to run an election," she said Wednesday.

County Commissioner Dave Russell said the volunteer poll worker suggestion was only one recommendation. If Williams doesn't like it, she is free to choose another alternative - as long as she cuts $43,000 from her budget.

"Annie's office is no different from any other constitutional office that serves this county," Russell said. "All have made cuts but hers."

"It may very well be she needs to make some tough decisions about how many staffers she has," he added. "But that's her decision to make."

County Commissioner Jeff Stabins said he found Browning's comment that volunteers don't have the same level of commitment to be insulting.

Meanwhile, Stabins said he will personally step in to try to help Williams find cuts in her budget. But he's not happy about it.

"Frankly, she told us she didn't know how to cut her own budget and asked us to do her job for her, so I'm taking her up on it," Stabins said.

Stabins announced at the end of Tuesday's board meeting that he would try to help Williams.

"I want you all to know that I've been working with Supervisor Williams office to help her find the savings that we ordered last year and we're making headway," Stabins told his colleagues. "I will have a report for you at the next board meeting."

That meeting is scheduled for Nov. 10.