Editorials
Hamilton deserves credit for tough job of shrinking county government
TBO.com
Published: October 28, 2011
Not quite four years have passed and Hernando County is again hanging out the for-hire sign for another county administrator.Published: October 28, 2011
David Hamilton was hired as the county administrator and the country was entering the descent into financial disarray. Hamilton was tasked by his bosses, the Hernando County Commission, to trim the excesses from the county budget.
Indeed. he did just that.
One never makes friends while dismantling the structure of government and letting people go who had long standing in that government.
Hamilton's first reorganization brought the 15 department heads down to eight and that was to be the nucleus of his management team. Unfortunately, he and the team did not always agree on issues and the employees' feeling was that it was Hamilton's way or the proverbial highway.
That probably was the most important issue that began the demise of the administrator.
It is difficult to run a taught ship when the crew is not 100 percent behind the captain. That and the several instances when Mr. Hamilton did not show good judgment, but rather a callous disregard for his bosses finally took its toll. When he lost the confidence of the majority of the commission, the outcome was inevitable.
One can only say "I'm sorry" so many times, and Hamilton reached his limit.
Another issue that we are sure did not sit well with the commission was his applying for a job in Sarasota.
However, credit must be given Hamilton for the changes he made, as he inherited a bureaucratic quagmire that was the result of a parade of administrators who averaged 18 months on the job.
It became apparent that it was the department heads who were running the county. That was in itself a formidable task to overcome and get the necessary changes in place that the county and the taxpayers needed.
It seems that an amicable resolution of the issue is happening and that is best for all concerned.