This Beaufort County leader is stepping down months earlier than expected

Outgoing Beaufort County administrator Gary Kubic is making his exit from public life a bit sooner than anticipated.

Kubic was set to retire at the end of the year. However, he announced Tuesday that his final day in the county’s top job will be Sept. 29.

The 65-year-old has led the county since 2004.

“My father and my mother passed away within a week of each other in August,” Kubic said Tuesday. “As a result of that my family responsibilities enlarged.”

Kubic had been traveling between Beaufort County and Youngstown, Ohio, regularly over the past several weeks to attend to family issues.

“I cannot effectively be in two places at once,” he said. “I’ve got family demands in Ohio and I can’t ignore those.”

Kubic said it will be up to the Beaufort County Council to name an interim administrator until a full-time replacement can be identified.

The council’s Finance Committee unanimously recommended Thursday that current deputy county administrator Josh Gruber take over for Kubic on an interim basis.

If the recommendation is approved by the full council next week, Gruber’s duties would begin Sept. 30 and continue “until such time a permanent administrator is appointed,” County Councilman Paul Sommerville said Tuesday.

Kubic said installing Gruber as the interim administrator “would maintain some stability” while the search for Kubic’s replacement continues.

Gruber is a candidate for the full-time job.

County leaders have been tight-lipped about the identities of the other people being considered for the job, but longtime Hilton Head Island town manager Steve Riley is rumored to be among that group.

Kubic said he plans to maintain a home in the area and that he is “very appreciative of the opportunities that the citizens of Beaufort County have provided for me and my family.”

Beyond seeing to his parents’ estates, “I haven’t really had a chance to think about what happens when all this fun ends,” Kubic said.

This story was originally published September 5, 2017 at 4:36 PM with the headline "This Beaufort County leader is stepping down months earlier than expected."