After an afternoon and evening of phone calls, emails and text messages, it looks like Randy Oliver is out as county administrator. Outgoing Commissioner Kevin White will lead the charge. Gene Valentino will second the motion, and Wilson Robertson will be the third vote.
The surprise is White and Valentino will be nominating for the interim county administrator George Touart, who gave up the position five years ago under a cloud of suspicion over his relationships with developers and county vendors. The termination was handled so poorly that it was unclear whether he resigned, retired or was fired. Touart tried to hold on to his position for an additional three months to become vested in the state retirement system, but the commissioners refused the extension.
His tenure with the county was filed with controversy. The Pensacola native was hired by commissioners who were removed from office after being indicted by a grand jury. He dealt with the recovery from hurricanes Ivan and Dennis. County revenues soared and so did the size of county government. Florida TaxWatch issued a blistering report in June 2008 that showed county tax revenue climbed from $71 million in 2001 to $125 million in 2006 because county officials did not cut the property tax rate in the face of rising property values. His successor, Bob McLaughlin, spent millions offering employees severance packages to reduce the size of county staff.
Touart did come under fire for going on fishing trips and golf outings with developers and vendors. There was an investigation on whether he used his influence to have Pensacola Police raid the strip club Arety’s Angel after the owner refused to forgave a bar tab charged by his son on Touart’s credit card. After a 2005 Wisconsin hunting trip, then-Sheriff Ron McNesby, then-County Commissioner Mike Whitehead and Touart were charged with hunting illegally. All three paid hefty fines and lost their Wisconsin hunting privileges.
In 2010, he ran for county commission against Gene Valentino, placing fourth in a four-person race with only 595 votes. During the campaign, one of his supporters was arrested for trespassing on property of an opponent. Since then, Touart has been battling cancer and has disappeared from the political scene.
How definite am I that Touart will be named the interim county administrator? As unlikely as it seems, my sources are telling me that it’s a done deal–at least on Valentino and White’s part. Touart will be guaranteed three months, but his contract will be no more than a year. It will be decided before the new commissioners take office.
For Valentino, this could be the end of his political career. Only 595 people in his district thought Touart would be a good commissioner. In every election since 2008, voters have rejected candidates tied to his regime-McNesby and Whitehead – by huge numbers. This decision will become an albatross around his neck.
The one hope that the county commission doesn’t take this step backward and put the county government in complete disarray is Wilson Robertson. He was no Touart fan. Robertson might instead push for Assistant County Administrator Larry Newsom to be the interim. Though Marie Young doesn’t have a good relationship with Newsom, she would prefer him to Touart. Grover Robinson will not vote for Touart.
Sheriff David Morgan has made it clear he wants Oliver gone. However, he has no love for Touart. Morgan may have some influence on Robertson’s decision on the interim.
Today’s Escambia County Commission meetings will be very interesting to watch. Our reporter Jeremy Morrison will be covering this morning’s agenda review meeting and the regular meeting tonight. I will pass along any tidbits I pick up throughout the day.