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Lamenting loss of Adams and his lack of explanation

By JEFF WEBB
Published October 13, 2005

Gary Adams resigned unexpectedly Tuesday after 16 months as Hernando County administrator.

Too bad, Gary. We hardly knew ye.

But for what it's worth, I liked what I did know. Adams came here with the best of intentions. He was genuinely excited about the possibility of helping a community prepare for its rapidly evolving future. He was aware there had been a leadership void in county government, and he was eager to fill it.

From the outset he worked long hours. Days, nights, weekends. He accepted just about every invitation extended to him to give speeches or hand out awards. And he worked those extracurricular events into his already hectic schedule of meetings and managing one of the largest work forces in the county.

He was the most accessible administrator the county has ever had. He would meet with anyone, any time, and if he could not, he would make sure someone from his staff did. He offered his private telephone numbers and answered his own phone after his executive assistant went home.

He was a good listener and he never dodged a question. He would look you straight in the eye and choose his words carefully when he responded, even when he didn't know the answer. Sometimes he'd make a note while he listened and if he did, you could count on a followup call or e-mail the next day.

His management style was evenhanded and his temperament was kind and composed. No one could accurately accuse him of being anything less than a nice guy.

Adams was, to use a cliche, willing to think outside the box, always looking for better ways to do things even when others told him it could not be done or that it had been tried before.

When he came across a wrong that needed to be righted, he would light a fire under the people who needed to address the problem, whether it was a member of his staff or an outside agency. If he promised he was on it, you could believe him.

Adams, a former elected official as well as a municipal administrator, did not like it when politics interfered with his job here. He was frustrated by commissioners who were unwilling to tackle controversial issues because they feared angering segments of voters or special interest groups. Even then, he would express his disappointment only in private, tactfully avoiding naming names. That's what you do when you're on a team.

To counter what he called misinformation and a negative image, he tried to educate the public about county government's processes and promote its successes. He appeared on television and radio shows and he met regularly with newspaper editors.

Add it all up and you see a composite of a man who is a capable, dedicated public servant and, until he decided he needed to move on, held the best interests of the county in his heart.

Now he's on his way back to whence he came, a small city in Illinois. According to his resignation letter, he's leaving partly for personal reasons (a small pay raise and an elderly relative who needs him), and partly because he does not believe he can be effective here.

Fair enough. Everybody has a right to try to better themselves professionally and an obligation to make family their top priority. But Adams' claim that his ideas were quashed calls for an explanation.

In the coming weeks, there will be much debate and speculation on this page and elsewhere in the community about why Adams is leaving and who will replace him. That dialogue is inevitable and necessary.

But before it unfolds, let's agree that regardless of his reasons, Adams' departure is Hernando County's loss.

However, if he cares about our community as much we hope he does, Adams can help us, and his successor, by being more specific about why he threw in the towel.

Reach Jeff Webb at Webb@sptimes.com or 754-6123.

[Last modified October 13, 2005, 01:11:19]