A 'colossal waste of money?' Beaufort Co. Council could spend $40K+ to fill this job

After last year's failed search for the next county administrator cost taxpayers $17,000, Beaufort County Council is poised to spend even more money on a second effort, one council members say must succeed — even as the process highlights lingering divisions among them.

"It seems, from my perspective over 12 years, we're more divided than ever," District 6 Councilman Jerry Stewart said Thursday. "And it's growing."

While other members paint a rosier picture of intra-council relations, there are clear disagreements about who should be the county's top leader and whether a second search is even necessary.

But as consultant and recruiting firm GovHR USA is set to begin that search — at a cost of $22,500, plus expenses — what's not evident is how and where, much less if, members will compromise, and how that might affect the hiring process many feel has dragged on far too long. About six months after the first search failed, the position will soon be re-advertised and — hopefully — result in a hire as early as this summer, according to a timeline proposed by GovHR.

Stewart, who's served three terms on council and acts as its vice chair, is in the minority camp that supports interim Beaufort County Administrator Josh Gruber, an internal candidate and finalist in the first search whose candidacy continues to be a polarizing issue.

During a March 12 caucus — viewable on the Beauforty County Channel's website — ahead of that evening's council meeting, there was a tense exchange between District 11's Stu Rodman and District 10's Steve Fobes, who took issue with Rodman's stance that Gruber shouldn't have to interview again, and should be grandfathered in as a finalist.

"There are some people who have wanted to short-cut the process," Fobes said, when asked about the exchange. "And (Gruber) needs to start with everybody else. And I said that with Josh in the room. It needs to be clean, talking about transparency."

And at March 26's council meeting, a parade of Gruber supporters — including former county administrator Gary Kubic — spoke on his behalf, some asking council to abandon the new search and give Gruber the job. It was an effort some council members hoped would sway their colleagues: officials such as Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner and Hilton Head Island Mayor David Bennett advocated for Gruber's hiring.

But other councilmen saw it differently.

District 1's Gerald Dawson called it an "orchestrated charade" on behalf of a candidate who, in his belief, lacks the years of experience to do the job.

"I think it was a clear display of Josh's intent to convince the public and council, as well, that he has overarching support for the position," Dawson said. "But that is not the case. That's not the case at all."

Gruber said Thursday he did not organize the effort, which he called "humbling." He said he planned to apply once more for the job, and that he's not currently searching for work elsewhere.

"I haven't had any second thoughts," he said. "My goal right now is to keep showing up every day and doing the best job I can for the community."

District 8's Rick Caporale called the effort a "setup" but added, "It's always cool when people come out and tell you what they think."

"But when they try to extend their remarks to council's responsibility," he continued, "then, they're wide of the mark."

Caporale was referring to Gruber's supporters who lobbied council to abandon the search and hire the man Kubic groomed to succeed him. Proponents of Gruber say he's served admirably since Kubic retired in September 2017, and cite the interim administrator's leadership through Hurricane Matthew, Tropical Storm Irma, and January's ice storm.

But others, such as Dawson, counter that logic, saying Gruber is just one player on the county's team.

"Well, a team's only as good as it's leadership," Council Chairman Paul Sommerville said. "We do have some excellent individual players, but you've got to have someone to lead them," he continued, expressing his support for Gruber.

Sommerville has been an outspoken advocate for Gruber "since Day One," he said.

Some of the chairman's colleagues — Caporale and Dawson, most notably — blame him for the failure of the first search and claim he used closed-door, executive sessions to lobby for Gruber in an attempt to manipulate the search.

Sommerville countered by saying he's been transparent in his support of Gruber and that the entire council gets to vote on whether to enter executive session.

"I think it's a colossal waste of money," Sommerville said of the rebooted search, later adding he'd remain open-minded as he reviewed candidates.

Rodman and District 9's Tabor Vaux said they've supported Gruber in the past and are committed to keeping an open mind in this search.

Caporale said he did not support Gruber during the first search but, like his colleagues, would also keep an open mind.

District 3's York Glover, District 4's Alice Howard and District 7's Mike Covert declined to say whether they support Gruber, saying instead they looked forward to evaluating each candidate, Gruber among them.

In a phone message, District 5's Brian Flewelling said he would not comment on the search at this time.

Fobes said it was "inappropriate" for council members to say who they were supporting — or not — at the moment, though he said he wasn't impressed with the pool of candidates in the first search.

"We didn't get a deep pool of applicants," Fobes said. "I would rate them at a C- or D+."

Fobes said he'd like to see a stronger pool this time, and he hoped his colleagues could come to a consensus.

"I hope we don't have a six-to-five vote," he said, explaining that while, technically, only a simple majority was needed to select a candidate, a stronger vote would mean smoother sailing for the new administrator.

"I'd like to at least see a seven-four or nine-two," he continued. "Or 11-0."

Rodman said he preferred to think of the second search as "an extension" of the first rather than a do-over after a failed effort. Even if the total cost ends up being more than $40,000, he said, it was a small price to pay for a thorough process that resulted in the right hire.

While most council members are optimistic about their ability to select the county's new leader, they also agree that the process has been a divisive one among the 11-person body.

"Hopefully we do it right the second time around," Glover said. "And if we fail ... we all need to resign and go home."

How to contact your county council representative

District 1 (Sheldon, Dale, Lobeco and Burton): Gerald Dawson — 843-255-2192, gdawson@bcgov.net

District 2 (Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Beaufort, Lady's Island and Fripp Island): Paul Sommerville — 843-255-2197, psommerville@bcgov.net

District 3 (Beaufort, Lady's Island, St. Helena Island and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island): York Glover — 843-255-2201, yglover@bcgov.net

District 4 (Beaufort, Port Royal, Shell Point and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island): Alice Howard — 843-255-2202, ahoward@bcgov.net

District 5 (Okatie, Burton and Shell Point): Brian Flewelling — 843-255-9539, brianf@bcgov.net

District 6 (Sun City Hilton Head and Okatie): Jerry Stewart — 843-255-2198, jstewart@bcgov.net

District 7 (Buckwalter in Bluffton): Mike Covert — 843-255-2191, mcovert@bcgov.net

District 8 (Hilton Head and Bluffton): Rick Caporale — 843-255-2194, rcaporale@bcgov.net

District 9 (Bluffton, Pritchardville and Daufuskie Island): Tabor Vaux — 843-255-2193, tvaux@bcgov.net

District 10 (Hilton Head): Steve Fobes — 843-255-2195, sfobes@bcgov.net

District 11 (Hilton Head): Stu Rodman — 843-363-6470, srodman@bcgov.net

This story was originally published April 2, 2018 at 3:49 PM with the headline "A 'colossal waste of money?' Beaufort Co. Council could spend $40K+ to fill this job."