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Politics
25 years leading county
By DAVID DECAMP
Published March 22, 2007
| | Then | Now | | Annual Salary | $40,000 | $177,000 | | Personal wheels | Toyota Corona station wagon | BMW 500 Series sedan | | Pasco County population | 217,300 | 429,000 | | Music to his ears | Jimi Hendrix, some country and western music | He's got that same music on his iPod, plus some "modern hip-hop, I don't even know what it is. Is there a singer by the name of Bounce? Be-ounce?" Beyonce? "I listen to some of her stuff." | | To-do list | Hiring a chief deputy to allow him to work on big-picture items. Improving trash services. Making the county utilities department work better. | Hiring a chief deputy to allow him to work on big-picture items. Improving trash services. Making the county utilities department work better. ("Nothing changes," Gallagher half-joked). | | A reader, fisherman, bad golfer and ... | A pack-a-day smoker, and somehow, a runner. "Kept my lungs clean," he said. | Admittedly a little heavier, and not averse to a good Punch cigar on the weekend. | On March 22, 1982, the American space shuttle Columbia was preparing for its third launch. Michael Jackson was months from putting out a little album called Thriller. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial had almost phoned home as big-screen hit. And 35-year-old John J. Gallagher was starting his first day as Pasco County administrator. Previously New Port Richey's city manager and a teacher, he began a hitch that hits 25 years today. A few more years are in the plans. His best decision? Pushing the construction of the Suncoast Parkway. He said it provided a regional traffic path for future generations. His worst whiff? Not picking up Pasco's shift from being a retirement community to a place for young families to raise kids. "I think I was four [or] five years late" sensing the shift, Gallagher said.
[Last modified March 22, 2007, 07:24:31]
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by Mike
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03/22/07 09:06 PM
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Wow, one of the highest paid administrators in the state.... Shouldnt all Pasco employees rank in the top percentile when it comes to salary???????????????????????????
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by Cindy
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03/22/07 01:38 PM
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Unlike Pasco County Firefighters, will Mr. Gallagher receive gap coverage for his health care insurance when he retires?
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