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County names its administrator

Four of the five commissioners choose Charles C. Saddler III of Lakeland, a Texas native who has plenty of Florida experience.

By CATHERINE E. SHOICHET
Published June 21, 2006

	[Times photo: Stephen J. Coddington]
	Charles C. Saddler III smiles as he receives congratulations after being offered the position of county administrator. His contract still needs to be finalized, and it is unclear when he will start. He said he hopes to begin his job in 60 days or less.

INVERNESS - Four county commissioners said Tuesday that Charles C. Saddler III was their No. 1 pick for the county's top administrative job.

After a two-day interview process, commissioners were swift in their selection. It took only a few minutes to narrow the list of finalists from six to two: Saddler and Marsha Segal-George of Fort Myers Beach.

Ultimately, four commissioners ranked Saddler, 49, as their top choice. Commissioner Jim Fowler said Segal-George was his favorite.

In the next week, officials from the county's human resources department, County Attorney Robert "Butch" Battista and commission Chairman Gary Bartell will hammer out the details of Saddler's contract. If they are unable to reach an agreement with Saddler, they will begin negotiations with Segal-George.

At 3 p.m., only 26 hours after he first appeared before commissioners in his initial interview, Saddler stood up to accept the job offer.

"Thank you very, very much," he said. "I will do everything within my power ... not to betray your trust."

He said he was "tickled" at the commission's choice.

One of his top priorities would be to improve the county's procurement processes on large-ticket items, he said, but he was not ready Tuesday to identify other items on his docket.

It was unclear Tuesday when Saddler would start his new job. He said he hoped to be able to start in 60 days or less.

Saddler is serving as interim town manager in Dundee. But the Texas native has spent 18 of the past 20 years in Florida.

He lives in Lakeland with his wife, Lynne, and his 3½-year-old twins, Aden and Dara. His wife is the assistant director of the Polk County Health Department.

But Saddler said he will probably return to Citrus later this week with his family to begin looking for a home.

Saddler said he moved back to Lakeland in 2002 after two years as the county administrator in Jefferson County, Wash., and has been working as a stay-at-home dad.

But with his children entering preschool, Saddler said, he was itching to find a full-time job.

"I was getting bored. I was taking every Internet self-study course I could find," he said.

Citrus County seemed like the perfect fit.

"I think I have something to offer, and I think it could be a very good, long-lasting relationship for all of us," Saddler told commissioners during his interview Monday.

Originally, Saddler said, his goal was to become the city manager of Dallas. But Citrus County's beauty and high quality of life made it his top choice, he said.

Growing up on college campuses around the country as the son of a political science professor, Saddler said, his interest in government began at an early age. In college, he got involved in campus politics.

"I realized the best way to make change is to do it from within," Saddler said. "I got hooked on local government."

To commissioners, Saddler's passion for the job and solid Florida experience stood out.

Fowler said he preferred Segal-George because she had the most experience handling issues that Citrus faced.

"There's going to be a bit of a learning curve with Saddler that would not have been necessary with (Segal-George)," Fowler said.

After all five commissioners interviewed the six finalists together Monday, Segal-George seemed the clear favorite.

But Saddler impressed commissioners during his individual interviews with them before Tuesday's meeting.

"It gives a different perspective when you do one-on-one interviews," Bartell said.

During interviews Monday, commissioners were particularly interested in Saddler's Florida experience working in Polk County government and as the city manager in Fort Meade from 1985 to 1993.

The six finalists for the county administrator position began the interview process Monday, meeting with commissioners, department heads, Battista and members of the public at a two-hour social event.

"I've never done a search that went more smoothly than this one," search consultant Tom Freijo of the Mercer Group told commissioners Tuesday.

In other news at Tuesday's special County Commission meeting:

- Commissioners voted unanimously to provide emergency medical services to the Gospel Island area while Florida Department of Transportation officials rebuild the Gospel Island Bridge.

For $146,161, the county will contract with Nature Coast Emergency Medical Services to provide a first responder and a sport utility vehicle equipped with life support services on the island for the duration of the project, which DOT officials said will last eight months. Construction is slated to begin in August.

"The county's doing everything we can in a situation we really didn't have any control over," Commissioner Joyce Valentino said.

But Commissioner Vicki Phillips cautioned residents that if several emergencies happen simultaneously, residents may have to wait for medical care.

"I don't want to send a false sense of security to people on Gospel Island Road," she said.

- After a presentation from director of public safety Charles Poliseno, commissioners voted unanimously to lift the burn ban that has been in place for nearly two months.

Poliseno told commissioners that he spoke with officials from the state's Division of Forestry, who advised him that weather forecasts indicated that lifting the ban was possible.

- Commissioners voted to move their July meetings to Room 166 of the Lecanto Government Building. The increased security and large public and media crowds expected for the John Couey trial prompted the move, Assistant County Administrator Tom Dick said.

Catherine E. Shoichet can be reached at cshoichet@sptimes.com or 860-7309.

[Last modified June 20, 2006, 22:31:58]