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Asked during the media interview if Sarasota County would be his last stop, Harmer replied, "I hope so." A PRIORITY LIST Harmer's priority list includes preparing for upcoming workshops for the Fiscal Year 2015 budget and strategically planning for future spending plans. A big challenge will be managing the county as the economy improves, Harmer pointed out. "One of the most crucial things is how care- fully we manage the county as it looks at growth," Harmer said. "It's challenging to man- age city and county governments when there is a downturn, but it can be just as challeng- ing to manage coming out of that downturn." During the projected economic upturn, Harmer added, the county will have to address the need for heightened levels of service before increased revenue from new development and tax value growth becomes available. When asked by The Sarasota News Leader whether the county might expand its work- force in the near future, Harmer said it is hard to tell now, but he plans to evaluate the orga- nizational structure, including the number of full-time positions, during the budget process. Harmer also wants to place an emphasis on customer service and improve the way the 22 departments interact with each other. As deputy administrator, Harmer was not involved with discussions about contro- versial proposed changes to the 2050 Plan. Therefore, Harmer has a bit of a "learning curve" on that topic — a planning issue to which some of Reid's community supporters point as the primary reason for the decline in commission support for Reid. The for- mer administrator had suggested the county Commissioner Carolyn Mason reviews agenda material on Jan. 28. Photo by Norman Schimmel Sarasota News Leader January 31, 2014 Page 33