By MICHAEL D. BATES
mbates@hernandotoday.com

SPRING HILL - When Margaret Perreira became a Spring Hill Fire commissioner in 2004, she made history by becoming the first woman to sit on that elected board since it was formed in 1975.

Hernando Today has learned that Perreira’s term on the five-person, nonpartisan board expired in November 2006, which has called into question the validity of her status during the past five months.

The news swept like wildfire through the government center Friday as county attorneys scrambled to investigate the latest crisis.

It also brought stinging rebukes from at least two county commissioners who said the ramifications of this could be extensive.

“I’m concerned about the integrity of the fire board and to what degree it may have been compromised,” Hernando County commissioner David Russell said.

“The implications could arise to the validity of votes taken involving taxpayer dollars,” Russell said. “At the very least, it’s a violation of public trust and someone needs to be held accountable.”

Russell said the culpability for this oversight falls not only on Perreira but also on the district’s attorney Andrew Salzman and the five fire commissioners.
“It should never have happened,” he said.

Hernando Today obtained a copy of Perreira’s certificate of appointment, presented to her Oct. 12, 2004 and signed by Clerk of the Court Karen Nicolai and then-County Commission Chairwoman Nancy Robinson.

The certificate explicitly states that her tenure on the volunteer board expires in November 2006 and a copy of that was sent to Spring Hill Fire Chief J.J. Morrison.
County Commissioner Chris Kingsley called this a “major blunder on the part of the fire board.

“I personally think any vote she’s been involved in since November of last year would have to be null and void,” Kingsley said. “I’m not sure if there are any laws that have been broken but we’ll have to look into that.

“Their attorney and the fire board should have known what was going on, he said.”

Kingsley said Perreira’s expired term is almost sure to come up at Tuesday’s county commission meeting.

Supervisor of Elections Annie Williams said it is the candidate’s job to track his or her elected status and not that of her department. She advised a Hernando Today reporter to contact Spring Hill Fire Rescue District for comments.

If Perreira chose to run again, she should have filed the necessary papers to be placed on the ballot of the last general election, Williams said.

“It’s not my job to set terms of office for any (candidate), appointed or elected,” Williams said.

In 2004, three seats became open on the five-person elected board. Only Biro and Raborn properly filed with the Supervisor of Elections office and therefore ran “unopposed’ and were elected.

In August 2004, county commissioners adopted the ordinance which allowed them to fill the vacancy when no candidate has qualified.

The county solicited applications, letting them know their term would expire in two years, and selected Perreira.

Perreira is chief operating officer of University Community Hospital in Carrollwood. County Commissioner Diane Rowden nominated her for the position in 2004, citing her expertise in the health care field.

This latest controversy follows on the heels of a controversial salary comparison survey recently done by the county’s human resources department which showed the starting salaries and out-of-pocket insurance costs of Spring Hill Fire Rescue firefighters and paramedics rank higher than 25 other state departments.

Reporter Michael D. Bates can be contacted at 352-544-5290.

Get Weekly Deals | Write a letter to the editor | Subscribe and get two weeks free | Place an Ad