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Adams resigns as county's top official

A deep "negativity" toward county officials led to his accepting a job in his native Illinois, the administrator said.

By ASJYLYN LODER
Published October 12, 2005

BROOKSVILLE - Hernando County Administrator Gary Adams resigned Tuesday, citing "negativity and in many cases pure hate" that he and his colleagues faced in his 18 months on the job. He also cited family obligations and a job offer in Illinois.

His last day is Nov. 23.

"When I first started with Hernando County many individuals informed me that there was a widespread negative attitude and perception concerning Hernando County government. . . . In my nearly eighteen months here what I have found is that instead of getting better it may in fact be getting worse," Adams wrote in a letter he hand-delivered to the County Commission Tuesday morning.

Adams, 57, leaves 16 months shy of the end of his three-year contract to take a job as the village administrator in Oswego, Ill., a town 50 miles southwest of Chicago. The Oswego village president announced the appointment of Adams, an Illinois native, Tuesday afternoon.

Adams' resignation letter shocked county commissioners, fueling speculation on the reasons for his unexpected departure. Topping the list, commissioners named Bob Haa's WWJB-AM 1450 radio show. The conservative talk show host has harshly criticized Adams and other county officials.

"I wish he'd been happier here because he sure was an asset to Hernando County," said Commissioner Jeff Stabins, adding, "I know he's been under a lot of stress. There's unfortunately a lot of negativity out there, especially from a radio station in Brooksville, Bob Haa and his band of naysayers in the morning."

Haa said, "I wasn't very negative at all because Mr. Adams didn't do very much to be negative toward." Haa reserved most of his ire for the County Commission, and his on-air characterization of Adams as a "consummate bureaucrat" was meant as a compliment, he said.

"There's no hate directed toward him from my show," Haa said.

Commissioner Diane Rowden, who has said she had suffered her share of criticism from Haa, said, "He (Adams) refers to the Bob Haa show as the "Bob Hate Show.' "

Adams, who enjoyed a reputation as a mild-mannered and fair leader, said he did not want such a statement attributed to him.

"I don't want to leave here pointing fingers at anybody," Adams said. He said the show was a shock to his system, but not the only reason he felt frustrated with the cynical attitude toward county government. "It's not coming from any particular place. It's coming from everywhere. I hear it all the time," he said.

That negativity stymied some of his efforts. For example, he hoped to institute a sales tax to help the growing county build some of the infrastructure it needs, but felt he would not get a fair hearing on the issue, Adams said.

A month before Adams came on board, in March 2004, voters approved a school sales tax referendum while rejecting a similar initiative that would have helped the county.

Although Adams applied for the job in Oswego six weeks ago, he kept his intentions quiet, he said. His colleagues reacted with surprise and dismay as word of his resignation spread Tuesday.

"I was meeting with him this morning and I didn't see this coming at all," said Clerk of Court Karen Nicolai. She described what appeared to be the consensus view of Adams: open-minded, fair, and a good manager.

Nicolai credited Adams with restructuring county government so that it ran more efficiently, and with boosting staff morale. The county's new performance measurement system, which will link department budgets to how well they meet performance goals, was largely his doing, she said.

Sheriff Richard Nugent said he had not seen it coming, and that it was a real blow to the county.

"He was always such a gentleman that people couldn't help but respect his opinion," Nugent sad.

Former Commissioner Len Tria, government liaison for the Greater Hernando Chamber of Commerce, said Adams' resignation surprised him, but that he had noticed a real shift in Adams' demeanor in the last six months.

"I would say a pulling back, in terms of his involvement," Tria said, adding, "At meetings, you very rarely heard him speak over the last several months."

Adams' resignation left the commission scrambling for an interim replacement. Among the possible successors, commissioners named Grant Tolbert, director of the county's development department; Larry Jennings, director of planning; and Frank McDowell III, who heads up code enforcement.

The county did an intensive search to find Adams after the retirement of former Administrator Dick Radacky, a man largely considered a placeholder until a permanent replacement could be found. Adams was named to the $115,000-a-year post in April 2004. He will make $120,000 in his new job.

Rowden said she had hoped Adams would stay "until retirement do us part." Rowden said finding a replacement will be difficult, especially in advance of the holidays. She hoped the commission would name an interim administrator in time for Adams to train his replacement.

"You want something more than a babysitter because this county is growing so fast," Rowden said.

Adams came to the job from the village of Rantoul, Ill., where he had been a city manager since 1997. He had returned to Illinois from Putnam County, where he served as the county administrator since 1984, with the exception of a brief stint in Minnesota. In his letter, Adams cited a desire to live closer to his 93-year-old grandmother.

Adams said if he had any parting message to county residents, it would be, "There's a brighter side. Everything is not wrong. There's a lot of good things going on and a lot of people that work hard and try to do the right thing."

Asjylyn Loder can be reached at aloder@sptimes.com or 352 754-6127.

[Last modified October 12, 2005, 00:19:18]