Harmer says goodbye to county

County Administrator Tom Harmer bid farewell to the County Commission on Nov. 27 in advance of his last day on Dec. 8 before heading to Longboat Key as town manager.

“I am certainly leaving with mixed feelings, but I am not going far,” Harmer told commissioners. “I leave confident that the county is in a good position.”

Harmer has held the county administrator position since 2014, and is leaving after accomplishing what he set out to do, he told the Observer.

“I feel like I’ve completed all my initial tasks that were on my to-do list, if you will, back four or five years ago when we were trying to rebuild confidence in our procurement, trying to restructure our budget process. We were trying to emphasize customer service. We were trying to build confidence in the board on the staff,” he said. “I think we’ve been able to do all of those things.”

Harmer said he’s most proud of the high level of customer service his staff provided. According to a survey of citizens that was presented in August, more than 90% of residents who interacted with the county said they were treated with respect, given correct information and helped in a timely fashion.  

Harmer announced his resignation in July, and is leaving during a tumultuous time. Budget deliberations are still in full swing, as commissioners and staff members trying to find ways to make more than $11 million in recurring cuts starting in the next fiscal year.

When asked the biggest challenge facing the county in the coming year, Harmer identified the budget.

“In the next year? … I think the process the county’s going through now to look at its operations in the general fund, and to try and find that right level of service and the resources to fund it.”

Upon Harmer’s departure, Jonathan Lewis will take over as Interim County Administrator. Lewis has been Assistant County Administrator since April 2017, and before that he was the Northport City Manager.  

Commissioners are sad to see Harmer go, as he is one of many county employees that now work for the town of Longboat Key.

“I’m trying to think of punishments for Longboat Key,” Commissioner Nancy Detert said when Harmer announced his new job. “They keep taking our best and brightest, and I’m not taking kindly to that.”

Harmer’s first day with Longboat Key will be Dec. 11, where he will work with outgoing Town Manager Dave Bullock through Jan. 18, when Bullock will officially retire.