22 apply for county administrator position

By Carrie A. Mizell

With 22 applications for the county administrator’s position to review and a November 7 deadline approaching, the Gilchrist County Commissioners are in the process of selecting their top five candidates.
Applicants had until Friday, Oct. 21 to submit their applications to Florida Crown Workforce for the county administrator position, which was formerly held by Ron McQueen. Of the 22 applicants, nine are residents of Gilchrist County.
According to Julee Brideson, administrative assistant in the county administrator’s office, the applications have been turned over to four of the five Gilchrist County Commissioners for their review.
County Commissioners Tommy Langford, Sharon Langford, Kenrick Thomas, and D. Ray Harrison, Jr. will present their top five choices in descending order to County Clerk Joe Gilliam and County Attorney John McPherson at the November 7 county commission meeting. Randy Durden, chairman of the Gilchrist County Commissioners, has applied for the county administrator’s position; therefore, he will not take part in the selection process.
The 22 who applied for the position come from as close as County Road 307 and as far away as Colorado. The candidates bring with them a vast array of work experience, education and knowledge of what it takes to manage a county.
Applicants for the county administrator position are: Rhonda Adkins of Trenton, Sunshine D. Baynard of Chiefland, Robert Beach of Trenton, Timothy R. Bennett of Allendale, South Carolina, David Biddle of Trenton, Philip E. Chancey of Trenton, Kent A. Cichon of Gainesville, Daniel Collins of Monticello, Bobby Crosby of Trenton, Andrew T. DeCandis of Jacksonville, Ben H. Dillard, III of Jefferson, Georgia, Jerry Driggers of Trenton, Randy Durden of Bell, Lillian Essenger of Morriston, Adam Fischer of Old Town, Danny C. Gay of Trenton, Mike Konefal of Fort Lupton, Colorado, George Kenneth Little of Santa Rosa Beach, John Patrick O’Neal of Cedar Key, Charles W. Parkinson, Jr. of Hollywood, Emory J. Philman of Bell and Emory H. Pierce of Blountstown.
According to the advertisement listing the county administrator’s position opening, the individual hired for the position will serve at the pleasure of the county commission. The county administrator would oversee a General Fund budget for fiscal year 2011-2012 of $24 million. The county administrator would also oversee 80 full-time and 35 part-time county employees.
“The County Commission is seeking a proven, dedicated, innovative and experienced individual for the new county administrator,” the advertisement stated.
Starting salary for the position will range from $75,000 to $100,000, depending on experience and qualifications with health insurance and other benefits provided.
The county commissioners are expected to narrow the field to their three top candidates on November 16. At that meeting, Brideson indicated that each of the four commissioners would be given an opportunity to select a wild card applicant, so there could potentially be seven top candidates that will be interviewed for the position beginning in early December.