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Dave Harner started his most memorable Lee Region Commission meeting Tuesday as the freshest province supervisor sitting in a cowhide seat that was involved by his tutor Roger Desjarlais for an entire 10 years earlier.
Harner, a district worker for quite a long time, including spells as parks and entertainment chief and, all the more as of late, representative province supervisor, will manage a $2.6 billion financial plan and around 2,800 workers. He's one of three province workers, including the district lawyer and hearing inspector, that can be chosen through a vote by the five region chiefs. They consistently consented to employ Harner as Lee's 10th province chief starting around 1970 on June 6.
Harner, who was stationed overseas in Bahrain during Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s, stated, "We just happen to have a great team in the county in general."
After that, the Pittsburgher moved to Lee County and worked his way up to become a maintenance worker in the parks and recreation department. He proceeded to procure a graduate degree in policy management from Florida Bay Coast College.
"I've been pleased to work with this gathering," Harner said. " Assuming you return to Storm Irma, assuming you go to the pandemic, we've been together - and that incorporates our representatives as a whole - cooperating to accommodate the local area. It's simply a distinction to do that, to lead that gathering. You can't beat it."
On June 20, the magistrates endorsed a five-year contract that started paying him Tuesday a yearly compensation of $270,000, a 12% raise from when he made $240,440 as representative region chief. Additionally, Harner will get $500 per month to use his personal vehicle for county business. He was making $168,647 as the assistant county manager prior to 2019.
Although Harner's path to the county's top job had been planned for 32 years, the commissioners decided on him in less than 20 minutes of discussion.
On June 6, Commissioner Kevin Ruane stated, "I think Dave fits the profile, but I also think that a national search is necessary, regardless of whether we want to keep him in the long term is necessary." What I might want to do is have a province chief meanwhile."
When partners Cecil Pendergrass, Mike Greenwell, Beam Sandelli and Brian Hamman gave their opinion, Ruane submitted and casted a ballot alongside them, yet he made the movement to do exactly that.
Ruane later said once he understood he didn't have support for a public hunt, he definitely approved of Harner landing the position, or he could never have made the movement to do as such.
Of the multitude of chiefs, Pendergrass has known Harner the longest.
"I don't think [Ruane] acknowledged he didn't have the help," Pendergrass said of Ruane's underlying craving to run a public hunt. " I've known Dave for quite a long time. Dave's involvement in the region and his authority style is the best fit for the province. As of now, with where we are in Lee Province and all the obliteration we encountered, we really want a capable, stable man to lead us through this over the course of the following several years. We can't go home for the day in this recuperation. In addition to the recovery, our growth is so rapid. We need to remain in front of it. He sees every one of the components of the region. He comprehends the board's needs of helping occupants."
During the June 6 conversation, Greenwell supported the idea to name Harner as the new administrator.
"We are a district that advances [from] inside," Greenwell said. " We highly esteem that. I believe that we ought to remain that county. I have a similar feeling of dread toward the public hunt. We're actually recuperating. We will be recuperating for quite a long time. We have a great deal on the line here, for the central government to work with us. I think having somebody set up is super significant."
Hamman, the executive of the chiefs this year, said Harner learned all that anyone could need as the appointee district director to have delegate taken out from his work title.
Hamman stated, "I think it was all about performance." I've had the opportunity to work with Dave for nearly a decade. I think his presentation is best in class. The other thing that truly convinced me was, this is a period of enormous vulnerability locally after the tropical storm and the decimation. I think what our local area needs right presently is a consistent progress and steadiness."
Hamman likewise wanted to run a public pursuit.
"They consume a large chunk of the day," he said. " What's more, in the event that you express yes to a public pursuit, you're expressing no to conviction in a period of vulnerability. We've recently been crushed. On the off chance that you express yes to a public hunt, once more, you're expressing no to fast progress. You're additionally going to burn through cash on it. Everyone meets all around well. They generally come in here behaving as well as possible. Truly, until you work with that individual, you actually never understand what you will get. Here, in Dave Harner, I have someone who's been working for the region for a long time, who I've worked with by and by for almost 10 years, who I know won't let me down. Therefore, it was simple for me to promote internally.
Pendergrass and Hamman both confirmed that Harner had expressed an interest in obtaining the position of county manager in separate conversations.
Sandelli claimed that he had never had such a conversation with Harner, but that he did appear to be Desjarlais's heir apparent.
According to Sandelli, Harner was in charge of organizing the pandemic response on behalf of Desjarlais. “That was a very difficult situation when the pandemic started, and he told Dave, ‘This is your hill,'” Sandelli said. As part of that response, multiple COVID-19 vaccination centers were established, administering more than half a million shots to close to half of the county's population during the first few months of vaccine availability.
Sandelli said that actions speak louder than words, and Harner was prepared for the promotion because he led the county through the early stages of the pandemic.
"A great many people are fairly hesitant to say, 'Hello, I'm pursuing this,'" Sandelli said. " He let his work represent itself with no issue."
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