Gary Kubic said his 10-year tenure here has been like a roller coaster ride.

Gary Kubic said his 10-year tenure here has been like a roller coaster ride.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Gary Kubic is all smiles as he cleans out the office he's occupied for the past 121 months.
He pops a compact disc into his computer, turns up the volume and smiles even wider as Jimmy Buffett sings "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes."
Oh, yesterday's over my shoulder
So I can't look back for too long
There's just too much to see waiting in front of me
And I know that I just can't go wrong.
Kubic, 51, became Mahoning County's first county administrator in November 1993. He's leaving to become administrator of Beaufort County, S.C., home of the popular vacation spot Hilton Head Island. His employment here ends at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
'A pretty good run'
"It's been a pretty good run," he says, packing boxes and looking back on the decade he's spent here. "I do not believe there's a designer in the world who could duplicate the roller coaster ride I've been on the last 10 years."
He declined to put his finger on a specific accomplishment that stands out especially significant to him.
"The best part of this job has been that I got to work with some wonderful, wonderful people," he said. "I've tried to help and make a difference. I hope I did."
Kubic said being county administrator has "challenged my ability to do problem recognition and solution." He's enjoyed his tenure here, but said it's time for another challenge.
"After 10 years, you become more like a fireman and less like a manager," he said. "I'm just putting out fires all the time."
Financial troubles
One of the most persistent fires has been the county's financial troubles, which have mounted over the past four years due to declining revenue and escalating operating expenses. Commissioners have had to slash budgets over the past few years, sometimes resulting in layoffs of county workers.
The financial problems have been exacerbated by constant concern over whether a pair of 0.5 percent sales taxes, which account for more than half the county's general fund revenue, would be on or off the books.
The taxes, which bring in a combined total of about $26 million a year, each run on five-year cycles and are on staggered terms. One of them expires at the end of 2004, and voters will be asked to renew it in March for another five years. The other was renewed in November 2002.
One of the things Kubic hoped to accomplish while he was here, but didn't, was persuading voters that the county needs a consistent, stable source of income so the taxes would not constantly be subject to voter approval.
'Can't plan'
"That really holds back any chance of economic growth because you can't plan anything, never knowing whether you'll have that revenue or not," he said.
Compounding the problem is that the bulk of the county's general fund spending is on the criminal justice system, which leaves little -- if any -- money to boost economic growth. All of Ohio's urban counties face the same problem, he said.
Kubic said that when he left his job as Youngstown finance director to become county administrator, he had no idea of the bubbling political cauldron he was about to dip himself into. The county's political climate is something he won't miss.
"Clearly, the politics here is more than just an obsession," he said. "People have a 'gotcha' mentality and they personalize one's efforts."
That, he said, has kept quality candidates from seeking political offices in the county because they don't want to subject themselves or their families to the scrutiny often heaped upon public officials here.
Despite the difficulties, Kubic said he would do it again.
"My discipline has always been to raise the bar, to be achievement-oriented," he said. "Achievement is something that comes from within."
Kubic said his discipline, his maturity and his ability to manage effectively and solve problems are the main things he's taking from here to his new job.
He's also taking the Ohio State University memorabilia that has always decorated his office. Even though he's moving to an area where the hometown favorite college football team is the South Carolina Gamecocks, Kubic said he'll continue showing his support for the Buckeyes.
"A lot of people from Ohio live in Beaufort County," he said, smiling again. "They'll love it."
bjackson@vindy.com