published: Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Handley: Year in office gives him a leg up

By CHRISTOPHER TUFFLEY

christopher.tuffley@newssun.com

SEBRING -- Ron Handley is running for the District 3 seat on the Highlands County Commission.

Currently the incumbent, Handley was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to fill the seat in 2011. He is running for the first time in his own right.

"It gave me a year to see if I liked it," he said of his year in office. "I feel it gives me a leg up with how (county staff and the commission) deal with things."

Handley said he is a true Floridian, and has lived in Highlands for 54 of his 58 years. He was the in the first class to attend the "new" Sebring High School on Kenilworth Boulevard in 1972, he said. Wally Cox, superintendent of schools, was a classmate.

"My wife Patty and I had four kids. Three still reside here. We have six grandkids and a large extended family. We have a vested interest in the county," Handley said.

While he majored in agricultural economics at the University of Florida, when he returned home Handley went into construction. In 1984, he said, he opened his own business, Houses by Handley. For 32 years, he has been building custom homes and small commercial projects. He added he has done pro bono construction work for the community, like helping build a thrift shop for Nu-Hope in Lake Placid, and heading the renovation of Firemen's Field.

Handley said as a business man who has dealt from the citizen side with government, he is committed to making county offices more customer oriented. "We evolved from a one-stop shop to a bureaucratic monster," he said. "The biggest thing is the customer. (Staff) need to remember who they work for."

The core of his approach to sitting on the board of commissioners, Handley said, "is try to bring common sense and good economics to make sound decisions, while being transparent to the public."

Like everyone running for office this year, he warns of continuing financial problems.

"We're dealing with less and less money," he said. "Our funds are down $26 million since 2006. Our employees have gone three to four years without a raise, and we're still trying to provide services. It's a balancing act, because we're mandated by law to balance our budget."

He said the county may have to postpone the purchase of new equipment and reduce its support for not-for-profit groups. He says every county department has to look again for savings, and that it might come down to getting rid of a position. "Through attrition," he added, "we're getting by with less staff; doing more with less."

He said the current commission had "cut way back on the sheriff's request for a big building. The county will only build a property and evidence building next year, and might add on to the jail."

He thinks there are savings in Phase III of the Parkway by using in-house personnel instead of consultants.

Retirement, agriculture and construction, remain the backbone of the county, he said, so county services should be oriented to retirees. He supports tax abatement as a business draw, but feels each case must be looked at independently.

"Change is going to happen, so you just try to make it as good as you can," he said.