MILTON — Several Santa Rosa County residents balked at County Commission Administrator Tony Gomillion's request for an assistant county administrator, calling the position another bureaucrat.
Such a position would cost the county $115,000 per year plus benefits, according to information presented Tuesday evening during the final public hearing for the fiscal year 2016-2017 tentative budget.
One individual said Gomillion has operated nine months without such a person’s help. However, Gomillion said his former position as public services director still has not been filled and he's feeling the pressure of every department reporting to him.
After the meeting, he said he has an assistant to the county administrator but lacks an assistant county administrator upon whom he can delegate authority; someone who can take over for him when he's ill or takes a vacation.
The Escambia County Commission has two assistant county administrators under County Administrator Jack Brown.
"I'm the CEO of a multimillion dollar organization and I have no second in command. No organization this size would go without that," Gomillion said.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Santa Rosa county administrator seeks second in command