Two more vie for top county job

The deadline for county administrator applications is Friday and the consultant is preparing for the expected last minute rush of resumes.

Some have already come in, bringing the total of submissions, as of Tuesday, to 40. Among the recent batch are two women from Spring Hill: Kathleen Anderson and Theresa Barkley.

Since 1996, Kathleen Anderson has operated her own part-time accounting and tax preparation firm in Spring Hill.

While doing that, she has had other jobs, including a recent three-year stint with Swift Transportation, where she said she drove an 18-wheel tractor trailer across 46 states, maintaining a safe driving record and a 100 percent on-time delivery service.

From 2002-09, Anderson was a guardianship examiner for the Pasco County Clerk of the Circuit Court.

She has a certificate of supervisory management from Florida State University, a master's degree in business administration from Saint Leo University and a bachelor's degree in accounting from St. Leo.

Anderson, 50, said she has lived off and on in Hernando County since 1976 and has much invested here.

"I know the position has a lot of responsibilities and it would be a challenge to try and make the county better," she said.

If hired, Anderson said she would make it a long-term assignment to see her plans reach fruition. She believes she can efficiently work with county commissioners, staffers and department heads.

"I think teamwork is the most important thing," she said. "Obviously, if we don't work together, we're not going to accomplish very much.

Barkley is office administrator for Florida Finishing LLC and responsible for accounting, banking, human resources, payroll, purchasing and other duties, according to her resume.

Before that, she was office manager-controller for Asphalt Engineering Inc. and A.E.I. Concrete Recyclers.

Barkley graduated from Springstead High School in 1996.

Barkley, 34, said she would work toward eliminating redundancies among departments and streamlining operations.

Barkley said she lives in Hernando County, which is a requirement of the job. That also makes her familiar with local issues, she said.

"It may be good to have someone with a fresh look on things," she said.

Colin Baenziger, with Colin Baenziger & Associates, said last week the quality of applicants hasn't been as high as he would like, but hoped that would change this final week before deadline.

Baenziger, who is getting about $20,000 to conduct a nationwide search for county administrator, said after the Feb. 24 deadline, he will 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," Baenziger said recently.

So far, eight people from Hernando County have expressed an interest in the position, which is advertised as paying $120,000-$160,000.