Buzz: Touart is still a possibility as county administrator


Commissioner Gene Valentino is still championing George Touart as the interim county administrator. Commissioner Kevin White appears to be in agreement. Commissioner Wilson Robertson? That one may not be as a solid a vote for Touart, but we won’t know until tonight.

The buzz is Touart has committed to fire or hire whomever Valentino wants…and he apparently has a hit list. Not sure if Robertson has been offered the same deal. The incoming commissioners will be hard pressed to stop the personnel changes, since commissioners are barred from hiring and firing anyone bu their administrative assistants. The county administrator can listen to whomever he wants. The new board could fire Touart, but then the county would be saddled with another onerous buy-out.

This is ramping up quickly discussions and meetings are happening out of Sunshine. County government could be going through some drastic organizational changes over the next few months. The morale among staff is plummeting.

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Author: Rick Outzen

Rick Outzen is the publisher/owner of Pensacola Inweekly. He has been profiled in The New York Times and featured in several True Crime documentaries. Rick also is the author of the award-winning Walker Holmes thrillers. His latest nonfiction book is “Right Idea, Right Time: The Fight for Pensacola’s Maritime Park.”