The county administrator is one of the most powerful people in Escambia County. Yes, he runs the county operations for the Board of County Commissioners, but that is only the tip of his influence.
The county administrator is the one person who has 24/7 access to all the county commissioners. He keeps them informed on what is happening in the county. He puts together the county budget. He negotiates on their behalf.
An honest county administrator that all the commissioners can trust is essential to good county government.
A scheming individual in that position can manipulate the commissioners, pit one against the other or against a constitutional officer, like Sheriff David Morgan. A scheming individual can slant information given to the commissioners so that he gets the decisions that he wants…all the time telling them how hard he is working for them.
George Touart can’t be trusted in the position of county administrator. He can’t help himself. Backroom deals and schemes are all he knows. He loves to create problems, then solve them so that he positions himself as a good administrator.
Touart was brought back to give him six months to become vested in the state retirement system. Those six months are up. The county staff is competent enough to complete the budget process.
The commissioners need to vote to retire Touart. Set the date for June 30. Otherwise, he and his small band of supporters will hound the commissioners trying to force them to give Touart a three-year contract. They won’t let up the pressure until the commissioners give in. A vote on Thursday ends all that.
The county administrator is one job too important to place in the wrong hands. I agree with the daily newspaper–it’s time to move on.