Manager quits job before he starts

Hernando will have to find a new fleet management leader, as the Citrus employee chosen for the job decides to stay put.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 1, 2000

BROOKSVILLE -- Ernest Hutman, Hernando County's choice to lead its new fleet management division, has quit the job before starting.

Hutman, maintenance operations director for Citrus County, accepted the Hernando post July 25 but withdrew late Friday.

"I really had some second thoughts about leaving Citrus County," he said Monday. "I would never leave here unless it was for something better. Hernando may get to be as good some day, but it will never be better."

His decision leaves Hernando County's effort to reduce costs in vehicle purchasing and maintenance short-handed just weeks before implementation. Purchasing director Jim Gantt said he would split his time between his regular job and fleet management while Human Resources re-advertises the position. The fleet manager would be charged with establishing a central motor pool and maintaining vehicles and equipment.

Commissioner Chris Kingsley said it creates a potentially damaging situation for the county as it seeks future employees.

"People aren't going to be willing to come to this county with people just nitpicking them to death. It gets around," Kingsley said. "People are well aware of the positions of the commissioners. When does it sink in that we have to pay for people?"

He blamed some of his colleagues for battling publicly about the fleet manager's salary and qualifications and for challenging County Administrator Paul McIntosh's recommendations.

Commission Chairman Paul Sullivan initially voted against paying Hutman $51,000 a year. He said his vote had more to do with the 30-minutes' notice he got from McIntosh than his opposition to a competitive wage.

Once he heard McIntosh's explanation, Sullivan joined a majority to offer Hutman $52,500. The amount rose during the two weeks between the original, rejected salary and the administration's second proposal. Citrus County had raised Hutman's pay in the meantime.

Sullivan said his main interest now is getting job filled with a qualified candidate.

"After 31/2 years (preparing for the division), it's about time," he said.

Already, the county has advertised the job in regional newspapers and with trade organizations because no capable candidates remained from the original pool, McIntosh said. He criticized Hutman for backing out in the eleventh hour.

"It delays us," he said. "Obviously, we don't have the right people in place to put (the division) together; and we really can't move on it until we've got the right people in place."

During the first five years, fleet management is projected to save the county about $2.25-million in direct vehicle costs and about $250,000 a year in maintenance costs.

The division manager's salary issue could come back to the commission if the new candidate also asks for more than 10 percent above the base pay for the job, which is expected, McIntosh said.

Gantt called Hutman's action "unprofessional."

"You don't wait until all this has been done and people have gone out of their way," he said, referring to efforts made to get Hutman a better salary over commissioners' objections. "But I guess better now than later."

Hutman said he did not realize until after he took the job that he really did not want it.

"I genuinely regret the inconvenience I know this has caused," he said. "But I am an individual, and this is the best decision for me at this time."

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