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PHIL DAVISPort Richey's Jerry Calhoun has applied for the Hernando County administrator position.
PORT RICHEY - Less than a year into running this contentious little city, City Manager Jerry Calhoun is checking out the greener pastures of Hernando County.
Calhoun, 52, confirmed Wednesday he has applied for the vacant Hernando County administrator position. Calhoun, who lives in Spring Hill, said taking on the county's top job would be a good career move and put him closer to home.
Calhoun said another factor in his decision to seek the job is money: The starting pay for a Hernando County administrator is $50,000 more than Calhoun's current $65,000 annual salary.
"It's an opportunity in my own back yard," said Calhoun, who filed his paperwork shortly before the Tuesday afternoon deadline. "It's not that I'm unhappy where I am. I'm not applying anywhere else."
It is unlikely Hernando would offer a reprieve from the intense bickering that is a hallmark of Port Richey politics. In his Oct. 11 resignation letter, Hernando County Administrator Gary Adams cited a "widespread negative attitude and perception concerning Hernando County government."
Adams, the fourth Hernando administrator to resign in six years, held the job for 18 months.
Calhoun, who started as city manager in December 2004, earns regular praise from City Council members and both sides of a deep political divide. Calhoun usually sits calmly through long city meetings as council members spar with each other or members of the audience.
"For me, it's not that bad," said Calhoun, a former West Virginia sheriff's deputy and veteran finance administrator. "I would like to see the council in better harmony. But I get along well with all of them."
"There are frustrations in this job, but there are frustrations in every city and county administrative job," he added. "That just goes with the territory."