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WILL VAN SANTTom Mylander, who was Hernando County sheriff from 1984 to 2001, will fill the seat of the late Betty Whitehouse. He says he will not be on November's ballot.
BROOKSVILLE - Gov. Jeb Bush Wednesday appointed former Sheriff Tom Mylander to the District 5 Hernando County Commission seat vacant since the March 4 death of Betty Whitehouse.
The move restores a measure of decisiveness the board has lacked in recent weeks. In the absence of a fifth vote, the commission has postponed hearing certain issues and deadlocked on others.
Mylander's appointment also alters the political makeup of the board. He joins fellow Republican Robert Schenck to serve alongside three Democrats.
Mylander, 62, served as sheriff from his election in 1984 until his retirement in 2001. He is widely regarded as a talented, forthright administrator whose appeal transcends party lines. News of his appointment was greeted with enthusiasm.
"Tom has a great reputation in the community . . . and a tremendous amount of integrity," said acting commission chairwoman Diane Rowden, a Democrat. "Everybody has looked up to Tom."
Local Republicans, including current Sheriff Richard Nugent, had lobbied the governor to appoint Mylander. A one-time president of the Florida Sheriffs Association, Mylander has stumped for law enforcement interests in Tallahassee and he and Bush have campaigned for each other.
"I think Tom Mylander is one of the most accomplished administrators and public servants this county has known and I am extremely pleased at the governor's selection particularly at a time when the county is in such desperate need of strong leadership," said Lara Bradburn, a Republican candidate for District 5, who had expressed support for Mylander to Bush. She also had offered herself for the appointment.
Despite his popularity, Mylander said he has absolutely no interest in running to keep the District 5 seat in November. Already, six Republicans, one Democrat and one candidate with no party affiliation have filed papers to run in the district.
Without the distraction of planning a campaign, Mylander said he will be able to focus more of his time and energy on Hernando's many urgent concerns, which include planning intelligently for surging growth, setting spending priorities and naming a replacement for County Administrator Dick Radacky, who is to retire in June.
"That will be a big decision," he said of naming a new administrator. "That will affect the county for years to come."
In the three years since he retired as sheriff, Mylander said people have spoken to him citizen to citizen, saying things they might not say to an elected official. What has struck him about those conversations, Mylander said, is the lack of faith people have in their government.
"Where government fails sometimes is in not getting as much information out as they could," he said. "People just want to know what is going on."
Mylander said he hopes to persuade some who may feel otherwise that local government has their interest in mind. Meanwhile, he has no illusions about what he can really accomplish during his eight-month appointment.
"I hope I can contribute to making some good decisions for the county," he said.
Mylander said he plans to meet with a variety of county officials in the coming days so that he can become familiar with some of the specific issues he may be asked to deal with immediately.
Commissioner Schenck expects to forge a productive partnership with Mylander.
"I know Tom," Schenck said, "and I think our philosophies about government are similar and I certainly look forward to working with someone that has a similar viewpoint."
Mylander was raised in Clearwater and began his law enforcement career in 1970 with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. He came to Hernando as a detective in 1977.
On Tuesday, he will be sworn in as a county commissioner at the County Government Center in downtown Brooksville.
- Will Van Sant can be reached at 754-6127. Send e-mail to vansant@sptimes.com