Fort White – Surprise Move Fast-Tracks Glenn Hunter Into Interim Town Clerk to Stabilize Shaky Town Operations
July 21, 2026 9:25 pm | 5 min read
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Columbia County Observer photo (file)
Fort White, FL – The Fort White Town Council, in a 3-2 vote, prioritized immediate action over standard bureaucracy. The Town appointed government veteran and businessman Glenn Hunter as Interim Town Clerk.
The appointment took effect immediately but came with strings attached. Mr. Hunter must pass a background check and a drug test, and submit a resume and return for a special meeting at which the council will ratify a formal contract and adopt a banking resolution allowing him to sign checks.
The Council agreed that his central mission is to organize the troubled clerk's office, protect the town's grant activities, and recruit a permanent, qualified clerk-manager within roughly 90 days.
The Presiding Officer Asked: “Would you like to speak?”
Fort White didn’t disappoint: the Town’s office staff prepared a helter-skelter agenda which was changed around at the beginning of the meeting, leaving most in the audience confused and Councilwoman Monica Merricks rightfully commenting on the disorder. Presiding Officer/Councilwoman Terry added Mr. Hunter to the new business portion of the agenda, saying he may possibly be able to fill in “with temporary clerk duties.”
After two hours, the Hunter item (added as 3b) came before the Council. Presiding Officer/Councilwoman Terry (Presiding Officer): “I'd like to consider Mr. Hunter as filling in as our interim clerk, and if you want to give us a sales pitch of how you can help us – I've known you for many years.”
An Unusual Pitch: Not seeking the job, but…
"I really was not seeking this job... it's an opportunity for the town to take another look and maybe move in another direction."
–– Glenn Hunter
Mr. Hunter opened with an unusual pitch: he told the council he "was not seeking this job," but had been attending meetings for a couple of years and saw an "opportunity for the Town to take another look and maybe move in another direction."
Mr. Hunter spoke about his resume of local service – 24 years on the Columbia County School Board and a 2014-to-2022 stint as economic development director for the County 5, where he said he helped secure CDBG and other infrastructure grants to run water, sewer, and gas lines to enhance the County’s economic development.
His diagnosis of Fort White's woes was a reminder of how bad things had become in Fort White, a community that has left most just shaking their heads.
He argued that legal matters and grant filings should be consolidated and prepared by the clerk “before” meetings rather than dropped on council members – a habit he said "leads to more confusion, and it costs a lot of money." He warned that the Town is "missing" numerous available state grants, and lamented stalled community projects like the caboose at the train depot. “That's kind of sad," he said.
Mr. Hunter stressed the temporary nature of his role. A short-term appointee, he said, could handle "the necessities," but the real priority was finding a permanent, qualified clerk rather than handing the search to an outside agency to "roll the dice and see what you can get." His motives, he insisted, were civic, not financial: "There's no ego here. There's no personal agenda... it's not about us. It's about all these folks out here."
The Debate: Speed Versus Paperwork
"I would rather not do anything without a written proposal... anything could be said and it's not put on paper and it's not signed."
— Councilwoman Monica Merricks
The Council was splintered over ‘how’ to bring him aboard.
Councilman Lonnie Harrell floated appointing him that night and letting him submit a written proposal for two days a week for later approval, noting a competing service proposal had come in around $32,000 — a figure Mr. Hunter dismissed, recalling that Lake City endured a "horrible ordeal" and "failed miserably" with that arrangement.
Councilwoman Monica Merricks pushed back, insisting on documentation first. She "would rather not do anything without a written proposal," she said, warning that verbal understandings can later be disputed: "anything could be said and it's not put on paper and it's not signed, and then they come back and say, 'Hey, I said this'... never mind."
Presiding Officer Terry favored speed. "I'm willing to go with the verbal to expedite the situation," she said, and moved to appoint Mr. Hunter effective that night.
"10 hours a week is not going to get nothing done." — Councilman Bill Koon
Councilman Bill Koon clashed over hours. When Ms. Terry floated a 10-hour week, Mr. Koon objected: "10 hours a week is not gonna get nothin’ done." Ms. Terry countered that even a limited schedule would "sign checks and get the invoices out the door." Councilman Koon was not buying, "I disagree with it."
Mayor Thomas wanted "at least like to see a resume or an application" before hiring Mr. Hunter, and conditioned employment on a clean background check and drug test — screenings he predicted Mr. Hunter would easily pass.
On compensation, Mr. Hunter was dismissive, saying, "It's not about the money.”
The Legal Maneuvering
"If you vote to make him the town clerk, which you need, then he's the town clerk... I would suggest you get a contract."
— Town Attorney Leonard Ireland
Town Attorneys Leonard Ireland and Scott Walker stepped in to provide a path forward that satisfied the law while meeting Ms. Terry’s demand for speed.
Attorney Ireland advised that a vote makes Mr. Hunter the clerk and that a contract should follow. Mr. Walker recommended assembling a legally vetted proposal and ratifying it at a short, single-subject special meeting – a "15-minute meeting" – with Mr. Ireland attending by phone.
Mr. Ireland later flagged, on a reminder from Mr. Walker, that a separate banking resolution was essential because banks won't accept Hunter as a check-signer on clerk status alone, echoing the town's earlier struggle to authorize the recently resigned Joe Helfenberger.
After Some Parliamentary fumbling, Fort White got a new temporary Town Clerk
Presiding Officer Terry recommended Mr. Hunter work two days a week (because he was busy), which was a recipe for disaster, and despite the failure of the former part-time clerk to remain, the three-day template seemed to work. Fort White Town Hall is open four days a week.
A motion was made to hire Mr. Hunter on a part-time basis. It was seconded by Councilman Koon. There was discussion. The motion was restated, with added conditions. The original motion was not withdrawn. The second motion was seconded again.
The motion passed 3-2, with Councilwoman Merrick and Mayor Thomas opposed.
Epilogue
"I am optimistic we can put things on the right track."
Your reporter spoke with Mr. Hunter early this morning (Tuesday, July 21). He said he has reviewed Mr. Helfenberger’s contract, thought it was fine, and will make only a minor change or two.
He said, “I can see that working three days is what it is going to take to straighten things out, and I have left that in the contract,” adding, “Fort White is important. I have a long history here and care about the Town. I am optimistic we can put things on the right track.”