Saturday, October 24, 2009

The man tapped to fill one of Monroe County government's most important positions has turned down the job, two days after the County Commission chose him and he accepted.

Former South Florida Water Management Deputy Director Lee "Chip" Merriam on Friday told County Administrator Roman Gastesi he plans to take another position elsewhere in the state.

Gastesi now has offered the job to Fort Myers planning consultant Christine Hurley, who had been one of the top three choices for the Growth Management Division director.

Gastesi plans to meet with her next week to discuss a salary and job requirements. The commission had approved a $118,000 annual salary for Merriam.

Hurley, who has a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida, is the director of planning for the land use consulting firm Johnson Engineering. She was the city of Fort Myers' community development director from 2001 to 2005, planning director from 1999 to 2001, and planner for five years before that.

A six-member selection committee was split between recommending the county hire Merriam and Hurley, with each receiving three votes. The committee eventually reached a consensus on Merriam, who was Gastesi's first choice.

The County Commission on Wednesday voted 3-2 to hire Merriam, with Kim Wigington and Sylvia Murphy dissenting, saying they did not think he had enough planning experience or knowledge of complex land use law, which in some cases is dictated by state statutes.

Hurley has owned a home in Marathon since 2003 and has been visiting the Keys for 25 years.

"I have always loved the character of the Keys," Hurley said. "I knew when I saw the job posting that I had to apply. There are a lot of challenges, but I look forward to it."

tohara@keysnews.com