Planning commission rehires former director Bob Hunter

TAMPA — Despite the perception that it played favorites to rehire its former longtime executive director, the Hillsborough Planning Commission on Friday voted to pay him a $129,000 annual salary for the next two years.

Board members approved a new two-year contract for Bob Hunter, who retired last year and received a lump sum of $206,731 in January from a program intended to encourage government workers to retire. The Planning Commission agreed to rehire him three weeks ago over the objections of four board members, all with ties to development. They alleged Hunter was taking advantage of the retirement program and shouldn't be allowed to come back.

Those same dissenting board members, Hung Mai, Ed Giunta, Derek Doughty and Frank Chillura, quibbled with the terms of his new contract on Friday. But in the end, the contract won unanimous approval.

"I'm pleased with the unanimous vote," said Hunter shortly after the vote. "And I'm pleased with their confidence in my leadership and my experience as we head into the next two years and these very difficult budgetary times."

It took three hours of discussion, however. Mai, Giunta, Doughty and Chillura tried tweaking the contract, including reducing Hunter's proposed pay from $129,000 to $120,000.

Last year, Hunter had a salary of $145,000.

Board Chairman Bruce Cury had spoken with Hunter about the contract before bringing it back to the commission.

Giunta said Cury may have violated Florida's open meetings law by negotiating the contract in private with Hunter. Cury and board member Terri Cobb refuted that, saying Cory only brought back the terms that Hunter desired. The contract still had to be discussed and approved by the commission, they said.

Hunter said he will start work Monday.