This week, our favorite soap opera/horror story offered up some twists and turns as another character was written off the show and Machiavellian plots among board members continued to unfold.
While recording this week’s episode of The Bradenton Times podcast on Wednesday afternoon, my colleague Dawn Kitterman and I speculated that something was afoot regarding the county administrator position. Lee Washington, who had hastily been appointed acting county administrator after Scott Hopes was given his walking papers back in February had been missing in action while Deputy County Administrator Courtney DePol filled the post in what appeared to be a diarchy of sorts with Manatee County Commission Chair Kevin Van Ostenbridge.
Whereas an administration typically serves a board which in turn serves the public, this streamlined leadership seemed to be an easy way for all involved to serve the development cartel, with the ever-present political consultant seeming to be the go-between, thus potentially explaining why so much cartel-sourced PAC money is flowing into his coffers.
Mrs. Kitterman and I agreed that the most likely outcome would be DePol’s elevation to the “acting” administrator post in the very near future, accompanied by much back-patting for Washington with an explanation that the board remained grateful that he had agreed to jump into the demanding role at (literally) a moment’s notice and under difficult circumstances, had neither intended nor agreed to serve this long and that his full attention would once again be needed as director of the neighborhood services department.
By early evening, we noticed that the county had added a cryptic item to the agenda for the next day’s meeting titled, “Presentation by the County Attorney's Office regarding the Acting County Administrator position.” It would turn out we were correct in that Washington was out. However, he was not headed back to his old post. Instead, he had submitted his resignation, apparently, the latest employee to have seen enough to inspire them to hastily disembark from the sinking ship.
Of course, we shall never know for certain, as Washington’s separation agreement contains the same mutual non-disparagement clause as the rest of the lot with the county dangling a comfortable exit in exchange for a promise to never tell the public exactly how bad things actually look from inside the clown car.
For what it’s worth, this former Army Captain would certainly break protocol and salute the former Marine NCO for carrying out a near-impossible task with the sort of character and integrity that, while somewhat common among the rank and file, has been totally absent at the highest levels of the county government for some time. Godspeed, Mr. Washington. You served our community honorably, and I wish you well in all future endeavors.
We were also somewhat surprised to see that it was Charlie Bishop instead of DePol who got the bullpen nod, even though the former was leading in our little office pool just a few months back when we considered that they may even try to push Bishop’s many years with the county as justification to install a guy that clearly knows how to go along to get along. Commissioner Jason Bearden seemed equally surprised when he at first seconded Commissioner George Kruse’s nomination of Bishop, only to withdraw his motion once his brain had caught up with his ears.
I’d give at least even odds that there had indeed been discussion of keeping DePol at the helm and Kruse called something of an audible that, once in motion, commissioners did not feel they could interrupt, as it wound up passing unanimously. Regardless, I would not expect DePol’s role to be diminished in any capacity.
If you are familiar with the televised BOCC meetings, Bishop is the perpetually disheveled gent who regularly appears to be coming in off a three-day bender on 90 minutes of sleep in the reclined seat of a car. He is also the guy who you might remember as being in charge of that expansive, big-money renovation of the county administration building that was done without the proper building permits or inspections. Of course, you might also remember Mr. Bishop as the one who was/is (we cannot get a straight answer) being investigated for seeming to direct county work to a company owned by his girlfriend in violation of ethics protocols.
In other words, even the most derelict of our board members are unlikely to feel embarrassed by their many public foibles while plotting and scheming with the new top banana. And, now that I think of it, that may have been the real reason commissioners felt Bishop would be the best fit, in terms of whose turn it is to grab the clown car’s steering wheel.
Dennis "Mitch" Maley is an editor and columnist for The Bradenton Times and the host of our weekly podcast. With over two decades of experience as a journalist, he has covered Manatee County government since 2010. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University and later served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. Click here for his bio. His 2016 short story collection, Casting Shadows, was recently reissued and is available here. He can be reached at editor@thebradentontimes.com.
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david
Help us, Scott Baio, you're our only hope.
Sunday, August 6, 2023 Report this
Dianna
Just when you think it can't get any worse.........it happens. Mr. Washington, thank you. Commissioners, you are an embarrassment. Just remember your names will forever be linked to the disaster you are creating for the citizens you represent. Your name will forever be linked to the destruction you created when you drained all the brain power from our once productive county. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
Sunday, August 6, 2023 Report this
sandy
Mr. Washington, I applaud your integrity and your service. Best of luck in future endeavors. This board is such a joke I wouldn't be surprised if some who applied for the administrator position decided it wasn't worth it and pulled their applications. Charlie Bishop has changed dramatically over the years. Didn't trust De Pol after she said Hopes was her mentor. Watching the meeting, I believe De Pol was to become the acting (as Beardon thought) but Kruse threw a monkey wrench and nominated Charlie. Lets's see how long he lasts.
Sunday, August 6, 2023 Report this
WTF
Lee Washington clam the seas under his leadership in the ocean of chaos in the County. Lee will do well wherever he goes as men of integrity are rare in government. The developers might as well just open an office in the County building, they run things anyways.
Where there is little or no public opinion, there is likely to be bad government, which sooner or later becomes autocratic government.
William Lyon Mackenzie King
Monday, August 7, 2023 Report this
barbaraelliott
Had we a county charter we could recall the clowns and possibly clean up county government. Possibly. Please print, sign, and mail the petition for a charter government committee on the Manatee County League of Women Voters website. You may become a member as well with this worthy organization for only thirty bucks a year. The League is currently part of a lawsuit involving voting rights for you. Thanks so much!
Tuesday, August 8, 2023 Report this