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By LISA GREENE
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 2, 2001
After she won the job in November's election, Diane Nelson, Pinellas County's tax collector, rewarded five of her friends and campaign contributors with jobs.
Although she acknowledges the five had an inside track for the jobs because she knows them well, she said Tuesday that she hired them for their abilities, not their donations.
"When someone gives you $100 for a contribution, and you're looking at $100,000 for a campaign, it's very minute," she said. "They did it because they believe in what I stood for."
Four of Nelson's top new employees and a new administrative assistant contributed to her campaign, election records show. But Nelson said it was her knowledge of their abilities, not friendship, that guided her hiring choices.
"They probably did have an advantage because I knew their capabilities and knew they would work well for me," she said. "But it was strictly on qualifications. I'm very proud of the people in my new administration."
Nelson's new chief deputy, Charles W. Thomas, contributed $100 and $42.80 worth of magnetic signs to Nelson's campaign. He will earn $77,000 a year. He used to manage Tampa Bay's auto emissions inspection program, which ended last year.
Lillian Blocker's husband donated $200. She will make $71,000 as deputy for licensing and services. She worked as a bureau chief for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
W. Fred Petty, the outgoing tax collector, agreed to hire Thomas and Blocker before Nelson was sworn in to help the office's transition, said Sam McClelland, deputy for personnel.
Three of the department's four other deputies, who already were with the department, earn similar salaries that range from $73,400 to $75,600. McClelland, the final deputy, makes $55,000 but said he supervises fewer people.
Nelson also hired Jane Olds, who with her husband had donated $125, for $63,000 as computer systems supervisor. Olds has worked for the clerk of court and done private consulting, McClelland said.
D. Duane Zussy, who worked in the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and was county administrator before the recently retired Fred Marquis took the job 23 years ago, will earn $42,000 a year as the department's new projects coordinator. His wife gave $100 to Nelson's campaign.
The final contributor hired was Antoinette Wolff, who will make $32,900 as McClelland's assistant. Wolff, who has worked as a legal assistant and a management consultant, donated $100.
Nelson, who began working in the Pinellas County tax collector's office 32 years ago as a clerk, makes $121,400 in the office's top job. She reorganized the office by adding the chief deputy position, changing responsibilities for deputy positions and converting more workers' jobs to "exempt" positions, which operate on a different pay scale with higher maximum salaries. She said the changes will result in efficiencies and stay within the same personnel budget.
Meanwhile, Nelson still is working to fulfill her top campaign promise: to have real people, instead of a voice mail system, answer phone calls. The recorded message has been shortened so that people reach a live person sooner, but Nelson said the office's phone system is set up so that the message couldn't be completely cut. The office is training workers for a separate call center.
Still, Nelson pointed to improvements she's made since taking office in January. She said she's cut the office's overtime budget, reduced staff turnover, is saving money by ordering supplies online and is working on a regional processing center for independent auto dealers. "If I didn't think I would be a better tax collector, I wouldn't have invested my own money in this campaign," Nelson said. "I feel like I can make a difference."