lunes, 15 de octubre de 2012

Earl K. Wood dies, ending almost five decades in office - Orlando Sentinel

A nearly five-decade stint in office came to an end as 96-year-old Orange County Tax Collector Earl K. Wood died early today at his home.

"He just went peacefully," said his top deputy, Kelly Goodwin. "It's a sad day."

A push by Mayor Teresa Jacobs to potentially overhaul the job that Wood held for 48 years formally kicked off in August. In one of his last public appearances, Wood attended a meeting of that task force but declined to address the appointed panel, saying later it was a waste of time.

"We've been debating this since the 1960s," he said then.

Wood planned to retire this year and support his top lieutenant in the fall elections. Instead, a bizarre scene on the final day of qualifying in June ended with Wood running for another four-year term.


Soon after, Jacobs set up the task force to study options for the position, such as incorporating it into another office. The panel is set to wrap up its work late next year.

Lobbyist Jim Huckeba beat two formidable Republican foes in this year's GOP primary, earning the right to take on Wood on Nov. 6.

Goodwin said it's not clear what would happen next, but she has been advised by legal counsel for the statewide tax-collector association that Democrats would have a short period in which to pick someone to run in Wood's place. However, the name Earl K. Wood, arguably the most popular name in local politics, would still appear on local ballots.

Wood's office released this statement from Goodwin: "A great leader and friend to many. Mr. Wood had a great sense of humor, quick wit and a ready smile. His 'TEAM' driven dedication of over 48 years in the Tax Collector profession, tenacity, willingness to help out and do the right thing and most importantly his commitment to his family, friends and the community that he served will be sorely missed."

In recent years, Wood's health and mobility kept him from keeping regular office hours, but he said all the major decisions were still made by him, and he worked often in the community to publicize his office.

Huckeba and others cited Wood's absences from the office and other factors in their decisions to run against him. Early today, Huckeba started to roll out his "Where is Earl?" campaign, which was to include signs, T-shirts and even an aerial banner asking that very question. Huckeba said he immediately pulled the new campaign upon learning of Wood's death, and he has suspended his campaign overall for a few days.

"We applaud him for his decades of service to this community and have suspended our campaign temporarily to give his family, his staff and our community time to grieve," Huckeba's campaign stated. "Our deepest condolences are for Mr. Wood's family and friends at this time."

If he wins, Huckeba said, he remains committed to placing the elected post, which carries a $151,000 annual salary, under the control of an existing office, such as the elected county comptroller's position.

Even Wood had resigned himself to the idea of retiring, announcing this summer that he was ready to pass on the office to Goodwin.

But rumors that former Mayor Rich Crotty was considering a run for his post prompted Wood to re-consider, and in a confusing last-minute scene on the final day of qualifying for candidates, Wood ended up running again.

It was a job he loved, as he related in a recent interview.

"For 45 years we've balanced to the penny, and we've been there for the people. I love my job, as you know," Wood said. "A man came up to me and said thank you for taking your life to serve the county. And I did, and it didn't have to do with money. It was just a labor of love and I just loved the job."

ddamron@tribune.com or 407-420-5311 or Twitter @dadamron

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