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County official Michele Baker wins kudos

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By Carl  Orth | The Suncoast News

Published: September 10, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - After 15 years of serving Pasco County, Chief Assistant County Administrator Michele Baker recently was congratulated by her peers.

Baker last month earned the 2008 Government Businesswoman of the Year Award from the Tampa Bay Business Journal, county commissioners noted in a surprise proclamation.

Baker's first test by fire here came from a flooding crisis in March1993 mere days after she had been hired by County Administrator John Gallagher as the county's emergency management director.

Gallagher tossed Baker into the breech, directing her to manage cleanup efforts after a freak combination of a powerful late-winter storm that pounded much of the Eastern Seaboard and local high tides pushed a wall of water ashore along much of Florida's western coast, including West Pasco.

In the early hours of March 13, 1993, what came to the known to some as the "No-name Storm" and the "Storm of the Century" to others forced many people living west of U.S. 19 to wade through waist-deep water to the safety of higher ground.

Ten years later, Baker and the Pasco Emergency Management staff had to deal with flooding in the aftermath of weeks of torrential rain that fell on many parts of the county, including northwestern Pasco. At the time some area roads were under several feet of water for weeks and even months.

Then came the 2004 hurricane season, during which hurricanes Charley, Francis and Jeanne struck the region.

Baker has been no stranger to emergencies. She was the top assistant to Miami-Dade County Emergency Management Director Kate Hale when Hurricane Andrew tore a path of destruction across South Florida in 1992.

Her entire career has been devoted to public service, starting with the U.S. Air Force Reserves from 1980-89.

Baker's expertise was tapped in 1997 as president of Florida Emergency Preparedness Association. She served for four years as president of the Governor's Hurricane Conference. She was chairwoman of the Statewide Special Needs Task Force from 1995-97.

Numerous honors and awards include the 2006 Judith Rochelle Leadership Award from Leadership Pasco and the 2005 Outstanding Public Servant Award from West Pasco Chamber of Commerce.

Baker moved from Emergency Management and took on the job of county engineering program administrator in 2005.

Gallagher's decision last year to name Baker chief assistant county administrator was generally seen as his attempt to anoint her as his eventual successor. The chief assistant's post had been vacant since ill health forced Bill Munz, who died earlier this year, to give it up in 2001.

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