Locals vie for county job

Although they are seeking candidates nationwide, county commissioners have said they would prefer a local person to take the reins as county administrator.

Of the 16 applications received by a search firm, four are from Hernando County residents: Brian Moore, Don Page, Russ Wetherington and David Shamblin.

Colin Baenziger, with Colin Baenziger & Associates, said he will continue to take resumes from prospective applicants through Feb. 24. He will then shorten the field to about eight to 10 and let commissioners pick whom they want to interview.

"The best way to ensure success is to find somebody who's already done the job and done it well," said Baenziger, whose firm is conducting the nationwide search.

Baenziger likened the process to the owner of a National Football League team seeking to hire a new coach.

If somebody with previous NFL experience applies, he would undoubtedly be a more attractive applicant than someone with only a high school coaching background, he said.

Moore is no stranger to politics. The local activist ran for president on the Socialist Party ticket in 2008. As founder of the Nature Coast Coalition for Peace & Justice, Moore has led local Occupy Hernando events and several anti-war protests.

He has a business background and is West Central Florida regional representative for Phoenix Baseball Bats, based in Ohio.

Moore said he has a master's degree in public administration from Arizona State University and has worked in the public and private sectors.

"I just got frustrated and fed up with seeing what I see is a rotating caravan of administrators," he said. "No one seems to be able to hold down the job very well."

Moore said he also works well with the media. Baenziger said negative media reporting is a contributing factor to the low morale in county government.

Page, a former banker, is getting support from the business community.

Baenziger said he received a half-dozen recommendations from Page backers in the space of two days.

Page has an extensive background in banking, dating back to 1997, when he was president and chief executive officer of Bank Boynton in Boynton Beach, Fla.

From 2003 to 2011, he was president and CEO of Cortez Community Bank, but said he stepped down when it was bought by Florida Community Bank.

Since then, Page said he's sent out scores of resumes but had no takers. There are not many jobs available for bank executives, he said.

Page said that, while he doesn't have the government background, his business experience and supervision of employees during his long banking career more than compensates.

Besides, he said: "I'm a pretty quick study. I know a lot of people and I'm involved in the community. I think that's important to the job."

Baenziger said Page has an extensive private sector background but his lack of public sector experience will hurt him in making the short list, especially as the candidate pool grows.

Russ Wetherington, the county's procurement officer, announced weeks ago he would apply for the administrator position.

Wetherington said recently that he believes his budget and managerial experience has prepared him for the job.

Acting on a suggestion from Commissioner Dave Russell, the board in December agreed to form a working group headed up by Wetherington and Land Services Director Ron Pianta to handle the day-to-day operations of government and the budget.

Pianta, who has agreed to fill in until a permanent replacement for former administrator David Hamilton is found, will handle daily operations.

Wetherington will tackle what commissioners have called their most immediate priority: the budget.

David Shamblin of Brooksville was chief financial officer with BenCo Transportation Inc. from October 2010 to October 2011.

While there, Shamblin implemented financial controls, processes and procedures to help growth and stability, according to his resume. He also revised the company's financial reporting, he said.

He also has a background as a chief financial officer for StarTrans Inc., the resume said.

Others who applied for the job are:

• Rolando Barrios — budget director and liaison with the state Department of Children & Families, Southern Region, Miami.

• Luther Clark — October to November 2011, senior consultant with eGlobalTech in Arlington, Va.

• Daniel Faulkner — 2005-11, chairman of the Downtown Development Authority for Watervliet, Mich.

• Edward Green — county manager of Garfield County, Glenwood Springs, Colo.

• Daniel Healey — senior municipal program executive-consultant with The Solutions Group in Texas.

• Robert "Mike" Herr — president of Econ South, a private-sector engineering, development and management services firm in Lakeland.

• Andreis Lewis — 2008-11, director of operations for All Development, Yorba Linda, Calif.

• Tawnya Minca — works for Geologics Corp. in South Carolina; duties include management support.

• Joseph Pennisi — secretary of the New York State Senate Finance Committee.

• Raymond Rammo — 2009-11, director of engineering for the state of Florida-Broward County Health Department.

• Leonard Sossamon — 2004-06, county administrator in Newberry, S.C.

• Clint Stuntebeck — co-founder and chairman of the board for Radnor Enhancement Community Trust, Radnor Township, Pa.

• Eric Tucker — April to November 2011, deputy chief administrative officer for Richmond, Va.