This has all been very public knowledge, and the additions happened in the Sunshine on the dais, with the public in attendance. NorthEscambia has run detailed pieces on the administrator’s search that have provided helpful breakdowns at every turn. Where is the mystery? Perhaps Anne missed the follow-up meeting, where Commissioner May added his two candidates and Commissioner Underhill declined to add anyone (which made me wonder if he had already settled on a preference from the FACM’s selections).

When the special meeting happened in December 2018 during which the BOCC voted to employ FACM’s recruitment services, I was so new to the process I didn’t even know what FACM was, and just assumed they were a headhunting firm of some nature. It was a big learning curve with a lot to process, so I was surprised when I learned that FACM (Florida Association of County Managers) functions at least in part as a lobbying group for county administrators in Florida. And that the BOCC did not have any say in which members of FACM would sit the selection committee for Escambia Administrator. I’m sure all the people who served are ethical and performed their services with integrity, but I can’t see how their selections could be completely apolitical. Here is their information packet on their paid recruitment services (click the “HERE”):

http://flmanagers.com/resources/facm-list-serve-2/

I applaud the BOCC for realizing that the parameters of the County’s needs had shifted greatly from the time the search began until the abrupt departure of many top-level County employees. It would have been folly to remain rigid in the structure FACM had recommended, in response to the BOCC’s stated needs, given the urgency to reassess the events of the last month or so. Those events quite rightly resulted in the BOCC realizing they needed to include some candidates with immediate local knowledge in the inteview pool.

As to why people are “bashing” Commissioner Underhill on such topics as the EMS challenges, I can speak to my own reasons for considering him a pressing and grave part of the problem. The primary reason is that he immediately embarked on a misinformation campaign in which he has been posting statements, sometimes hourly, that he knows not to be true. He manipulated dates and timelines to make it appear as if the State DOH investigation was his doing, and when that didn’t work, he turned around to make 4-alarm calls for “the need for an investigation”–one that he knew had already commenced on April 9th. He has been the most problematic factor in the public confusion about Ms. Lovoy bringing in Ms. Kilgore, in intentionally conflating Ms. Kilgore’s County assessment of organizational and communication needs with the Florida State DOH investigation, which is operating independently. To this day, he is still calling for an investigation, although he doesn’t say of what nature.

If Commissioner Underhill believes that the Florida DOH is incapable of handling the investigation into Escambia EMS, then he needs to state which entity he believes should take over that investigation. Beyond that, he needs to remove himself from the process, and get out of the way of the findings. He is only making the job of the investigators more difficult. Makes many of us wonder why.

Also, if the ordinance is passed, who exactly will hold the County Administrator accountable? You want that person to have free reign? That’s like giving a toddler a flame-thrower and saying, “have fun, see ya later, kiddo!” It’s completely irresponsible!!

OK we thought, some professional non-involved people giving their best efforts to determine which candidates have the better credentials, experience and knowledge for being the New County Administrator. All that done without the insiders and backslappers and “campaign contributors” influencing. WOW, Hope at Last.

THEN, “one of our commissioners” asks if they can ADD to the LIST of FINALISTS.

We were FLOORED, so why need an outside agency to help if OUR Elected Representatives up there are going to ADD their Own Champions to the listing? A short debate took place about HOW MANY Names can be ADDED.

Now we see where Two of the Add-On people from Lumon May’s “extra list” have Withdrawn their names from consideration.

WE the Taxpayers DESERVE to know which other Commissioners have ADDED NAMES and Who has been Added by Whom.

This stinks because if the Commissioners are going to add their Favorites then why pay for an outside agency to determine the better choices?

GOOD OLD BOY POLITICS at its WORSE……Y’all on that high up stage are a Huge Disappointment.

“Don’t you get tired of Commissiners [sic] who don’t know what’s going on, can’t give a clear answer…if they give an answer at all?”

Yes, I do. Which is why I felt compelled to remind Commissioner Underhill in a Sunshine email I sent this morning that he is obligated, by law, to fulfill a public records request I made of his office 4 months ago. It was the 8th time in those four months that I have reminded the D2 office that the request is still pending.

A wheel in the cog is not the King.Commissioner can ask questions and work with staff but not coerce nor intimidate beyond your “wheel house” you must stay in your “swim lane” and “swim well” sound familiar?

The will of the board is an appropriate balance of power and is to be respected.

Apparently there are other problems and the employees have not been heard nor hearkened to.

Who leaked the unfinished investigation?
Who stayed off the dais then jumped and danced for channel 3 news?

Of course there are going to be problems in an organization, Be a team player.

One is unable to be a team player and that one is Underhill, he will not self correct. He thinks he knows it all. Nothing anyone says will change his mind. He is a god in his own head.

If the other commissioners sit there like bumps on a log and CYA then there it is.

A couple of you guys– we have a PIO for a reason. Jumping to PNJ and facebook for glory is not your best options

God speed to the new Administrator. Hope you are ready to go to work and tell these five BOCC to maintain a balance of power, listen to your people.

Opinion of one..for what it’s worth