New County Admin Gilley Rolls Out 100 Day Plan, Says The County Is Not In A ‘Hot Mess’

July 2, 2019

New Escambia County Administrator Janet Gilley began her first day on the job bright at early Monday with a 6 a.m. tour of the Escambia County road camp and time with employees.

By 9 a.m. she was downtown appearing before her five bosses – the elected members of the Escambia County Commission — unveiling her 100 day plan and

The plan will focus attention on the people, policy, process and plan for Escambia County. She said that plan that may not include significant changes in county government during those 100 days she works on a complete and through analysis of the county and the culture of the county, Gilley said she is there to “to listen, learn and lead as we move forward”.

Gilley began her time in front of commissioners Monday morning by telling them why she wanted the job, and her reaction to the many that have asked her why should we step into Escambia County government at this time. And she discussed the state of Escambia County is truly a “hot mess”.

“There appears to be a perception that Escambia County is an absolute hot mess,” Gilley said. “What I would say is this. I live on a small farm in Molino ,and a couple of weeks ago I was walking to my mailbox and my neighbor comes to the fence. And he says ‘you know, I wake up every morning thankful that I live in this particular community; I love it.’ And I said yeah, I love it too. I love this community; I love this place. This is my place.”

“So I felt like my best contribution would to be take a position like this, and to give back to my community. And what I would say is I am selfishly taking this job for me and other people that absolutely love this town.”

“I am not completely convinced that it is as much of a hot mess as everybody thinks it is,” Gilley said.

She comes to Escambia County in the wake of multiple high level resignations, and allegations and investigations into Escambia County EMS.

Gilley vowed to give her best to each day to serve the citizens of Escambia County, while remaining open, transparent, and working to mentor and build talent.

She said there will be no gossip or drama in Escambia County.

“I will not tolerate bullying and will try to foster an environment that is free of fear,” she said. “I will be taking responsibility for my work and my actions, including the times that I make those mistakes.”

“If we truly want to make a difference, we must not listen to the critics; we must move forward,” Gilley said.

Gilley will be paid $185,000 per year, plus benefits and a $500 car allowance per month. She is the permanent replacement for Jack Brown, who left last year to be with his wife as she battles a health problem. When Brown was hired in 2014, his starting salary was set at $150,000

Gilley has held the position of vice president of External Affairs at the University of West Florida for 10 years. She served one year as the national policy director for the Foundation for Excellence in Education, one year as deputy chief of staff for the Florida House of Representatives and served as policy director and deputy policy director for year in the Executive Office of the Governor in Florida. She served as an Escambia County commissioner from 2002-2004.

Comments

8 Responses to “New County Admin Gilley Rolls Out 100 Day Plan, Says The County Is Not In A ‘Hot Mess’”

  1. Suzy Q on July 5th, 2019 8:31 am

    As a retired Escambia County employee, I must be the only one that enjoyed my job. Yes things could get messy at times but that can happen in any work environment. I do hope Miss Gilley will consider reviewing the pay scale for county employees.

  2. Whisperjet on July 3rd, 2019 6:03 am

    ..Janice is smart , experienced , hard worker , educated , and compassionate..We all pray for her success in her new position…

  3. Dusty on July 2nd, 2019 11:06 pm

    I am vey excited about Ms.Gilley taking this position. There is not a street in Escambia County I do not have a memory about. Over that last few years I have been saddened by the poverty and crime. Especially violent crime.

    I hope to see a great relationship with the city and together progress towards a more satisfied and safe community.
    More opportunities bring business. Business brings jobs. Jobs cut crime and help the homeless. And more opportunities give people the ability to go to school and better themselves and our community.

    And through it all build relationships that motivate the citizens to get involved.

  4. phillip on July 2nd, 2019 8:26 pm

    What three volunteers are you talking about Tom?

  5. Preston Hardy on July 2nd, 2019 1:16 pm

    Only the County Commission is a “hot mess.” Good luck, Ms. Gilley. They will do everything in their power to drag you down to their level.

  6. w.w. on July 2nd, 2019 12:44 pm

    The “Good ol’ Boy” network and bullying will be her biggest resistance. Good luck ma’am and stay true to yourself. Each new day is a new day.

  7. Tom on July 2nd, 2019 11:29 am

    Good luck. Hopefully someone has told you that you cannot hire any staff without first posting publically for 10 days minimum. That was a change in the admin procedures when the former administrator hired an assistant county admin (Chip) without posting. Board reacted strongly so the admin proposed revising the admin policy and creating essentially a border policy that doe not let staff be hired directly by the administrator. Your three volunteers probably should not be considered employees unless the process was followed. As I said….good luck.

  8. GL on July 2nd, 2019 10:41 am

    Good Luck, Ms. Gilley! You are brave to take this role in the county government at this time, with everything in a turmoil and lots of people in defense mode. I truly wish you the best and hope that you can right the ship. We all know it won’t be an overnight fix, and that there will be hard decisions to make. I do think you have absolutely the best intentions on getting our county back to running smoothly and efficiently!

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News