TAMPA, Fla. — In the middle of a pandemic and just weeks away from hurricane season, Hillsborough County had to look for a new county administrator.
The current administrator, Mike Merrill, is retiring at the end of June.
Commissioners decided the best candidate for the job is already on staff. They voted 6-1 to promote Assistant Administrator Bonnie Wise to the top job.
Wise knows she is taking over during a challenging time, but says she is humbled and grateful for the promotion.
“I greatly appreciate the confidence that they placed in me,” Wise said. “And look forward to working with the incredible staff that we have.”
The board decided to call off its nationwide search for a new county administrator and go with -- as Commission Chair Les Miller put it -- someone who already knows the challenges ahead.
“And I have a major, major concern that going outside of Hillsborough County to try to bring someone to come in here for OJT, on the job training, while we’re in the midst of a pandemic, and hurricane season, puts us in a very very bad position,” Miller said.
Wise knows the area well. She’s currently Hillsborough‘s chief financial administrator and has been with the county since 2011. Before that, she spent eight years in Tampa as the city’s chief financial officer.
She’s raised her children here. She’s a die-hard Lightning fan, too. So, for her, steering Hillsborough through these tough times - is personal.
“I didn’t just want to be a county administrator anywhere,” Wise said. “I wanted to be a county administrator here. Because it’s important to me to always do what we can to make our community better.”
After dealing with a pandemic, hurricane season and a tough budget, Wise says she has some other priorities too.
“Affordable housing,” she said. “Transportation, good land-use policies.”
Ultimately, Wise says, she just wants to make Hillsborough a better place.
“I’m this believer that every job isn’t right for everyone at every time of their life,” Wise said, “But I’m hoping that this is the right time for me - and the right time for the community.”
County Commissioner Les Miller says he’ll be working with the county attorney to draft a new contract for Wise, who will oversee the county’s four thousand plus employees and an annual budget of close to $7 billion starting July 1st.
There was some lengthy debate about extending current administrator Mike Merrill’s contract, but that motion ultimately failed. There was also some discussion also about offering Wise the position on an interim basis while continuing a broader search, but that too failed to get traction.
Ultimately, the board decided to offer Wise a two-year contract.
Despite the predictably rough road ahead -- including COVID-19, hurricane season and what could be a crippled economy -- Wise said she was grateful.
“I just am humbled and honored by the confidence that you’ve placed in me and look forward to working with you into the future,” Wise said. “Thank you very much, I appreciate it.”
Miller said he’d be working with the county’s attorney to draft a contract for Wise, who will oversee Hillsborough County’s 4,000 plus employees and an annual budget of close to $7 billion.
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