NICEVILLE - The trustees of Northwest Florida State College just voted to fire president Bob Richburg, the man who hired Rep. Ray Sansom and was indicted along with him earlier this month. The vote was 4 to 3. (audio here)

“We have to turn this ship another direction,” said trustee Dale Rice, who added he is a friend of Richburg's. “Really because the controversy, the fighting with the media and the things that are going on are hurting the mission of this college, and it is hurting kids and their future.”

The indictment may have triggered the move, but trustees noted a string of controversies that have riven the community in recent years. “We have had a cloud over our college for a long time," said Teena Wells. She added: "I felt like my trust was violated the night he said he was hiring Ray Sansom and he didn’t need the board’s approval."

"Dr. Richburg has not been convicted of anything. He’s been indicted," said trustee Brian Pennington. "However, it's a serious issue. ... That’s serious enough to me for me to have some concerns about the leadership that we will have for a long time."

Vercell Vance dissented, saying Richburg has had a long, distinguished career and the move to oust him was hasty and would send a poor message. “I just don’t think that’s a fair or right thing to do. Media should not be our concern,” he said to applause from the audience. (A Times/Herald profile of Richburg is here.)

A small crowd lambasted the board. "You have not had the backbone to stand up to a media-led frenzy and thave throw a person who’s a good person … under the bus. It’s more like you’ve burned a saint at the stake,” said Gaius Bruce, one of the original faculty members of the school.

Before the firing, the board on Tuesday temporarily replaced Richburg with Jill White, who has been a senior vice president at the college since 1997.

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