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Candidate known for steady guidance

To describe Gary Kuhl, former colleagues use words like "integrity" and "professional."

By ASJYLYN LODER
Published January 16, 2006

--EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the last in a series of stories about the four finalists for Hernando County administrator. The finalists will be interviewed Tuesday by the County Commission. The commission is expected to name a replacement for Gary Adams, who resigned to take a job in Illinois, on Wednesday.

It's hard to find anyone with something bad to say about Gary Kuhl.

The former Citrus County administrator is one of four finalists to become Hernando County's next administrator. While the search committee ranked him second after Billy Beckett of Georgia, Kuhl seems to have a clear hometown advantage. He lived in Hernando County for more than 10 years and has secured the backing of powerful old Brooksville players.

In the past six years, Hernando County has run through four administrators with short terms. The last administrator, Gary Adams, resigned abruptly in October, citing negativity and in some cases outright hate that he faced during his brief tenure.

Given the recent turnover in the office, the County Commission hopes to find a stable, even-keeled leader who will stay long enough to guide the county through some of its growing pains.

Kuhl, 59, began his career in public service in 1978 when the Southwest Florida Water Management District hired him as an engineer. Kuhl quickly worked his way up, from permitting supervisor to deputy executive director and, in 1983, to executive director, a post he held for five years.

Mary Ann Hogan, a prominent local Republican and former member of Swiftmud's governing board, said she remembered Kuhl as effective and even-tempered.

"I never heard him yell at anybody," said Hogan, who strongly recommended Kuhl to the County Commission. In her estimation, Kuhl can steer clear of controversy and keep a politically divided County Commission working together. "If anybody can do it, he can do it," Hogan said.

Kuhl left Swiftmud in 1988 for an engineering job in the private sector. He didn't return to government until 1994, when Citrus County hired him to head its Public Works Department. The six-year gap in public service had some members of the county administrator search committee in Hernando worried that Kuhl was too much of an engineer and perhaps not adept at managing people.

Kuhl quickly pointed out that he's been in administration for more than 20 years. He supervised more than 500 employees at Swiftmud and more than 400 in Citrus County after he took over as county administrator there in 1996.

"I've been in management a good part of my career," Kuhl said.

He described his management style as participative and said he solicits suggestions from staff members before forming opinions.

Kuhl stayed on as administrator of Citrus County for more than three years. When he resigned in 2000, the County Commission expressed regret and even jokingly moved not to accept his resignation.

The Citrus County Chronicle editorialized: "During Kuhl's three-and-a-half year tenure as administrator, county government, guided by his steady leadership, has made quantum strides in satisfactorily resolving persistent problems of the past and in proactively addressing potential challenges for the future."

Citrus County Commissioner Gary Bartell said, "I've been 16 years a county commissioner, and four years a city councilman down in Gulfport, and out of those 20 years, Gary was probably the most professional administrator that I had the pleasure to work with or even know."

Kuhl didn't play favorites with members of the board, Bartell said. "His candidness and his integrity in his position was giving professional advice rather than political advice."

Citrus County Commissioner Vicki Phillips said, "I didn't give him the highest evaluation. Mine was usually the lowest. But mine was satisfactory. He was doing his job, and it was not an unsatisfactory evaluation."

Phillips declined to elaborate on what she found wanting in Kuhl's performance. In light of the high praise for Kuhl from other quarters, her assessment is pointedly tepid. Despite her reservations, Phillips still commended Kuhl for being a professional and a gentleman.

"I still think that he was able to manage and manage well the projects and issues that came along for us," she said.

Kuhl, who lives in Floral City, said he hoped to bring some stability to Hernando County and to bring the staff and board together as a team. If he gets the job, he said he hopes to stay until his retirement in five or six years.

"I feel like I know the area pretty well. I feel like I'm a person that's fairly low-key but stable and plans to be here," Kuhl said.

In addition to Beckett, Kuhl is competing against Gary Shimun, assistant city manager of Pembroke Pines, and Tampa native Pam Brangaccio, former Bay County manager.

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

[Last modified January 16, 2006, 00:40:11]