By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

                A dedicated career prosecutor with little experience in county government was selected as the top candidate by Levy County Commissioners Tuesday to replace retiring County Attorney Anne Bast Brown.

                Glenn E. Bryan, who lives on a 250-acre family farm near Alachua, will meet with County Coordinator Wilbur Dean to negotiate a salary and benefits package before Dean brings back his recommendations in two weeks.

            The only other candidate for the job, Andrew Mai, of St. Cloud, FL. impressed commissioners with his work experience in county government but he lacked the type of personality the board was looking for in the next attorney and his comments about cities troubled a couple of board members.

            Commission staff advertised the position for more than a month. The job carries a salary range of $100,000 to $140,000 depending on experience levels and other factors.

            Board members were impressed by both applicants, Bryan because of his willingness to work long hours and learn the job quickly, and Mai, the former Osceola County attorney who has tons of experience in county government.

But Mai was dismissed from his job as Osceola County attorney and that fact was mentioned by Chairman John Meeks, as well as Mai’s personality.

            “The second candidate (Mai) is well versed in land use and county government. He seems like a nice guy but I don’t think he has the demeanor to deal with the public and deal with these municipalities,” Meeks said. “I’m not sure this guy’s up to the talk. That would put us in a bad position.”

            Meeks added that picking the next county attorney isn’t like choosing a librarian. He said the board isn’t going to be sued for choosing the wrong books. He said he intended no offense to the librarian.

            “If this doesn’t go right, we’re behind the 8 ball. My other concern is his dismissal in Osceola County. I do know how things work in the big world. People don’t have loyalty. They don’t have compassion.  That job (in Osceola) was an at-will position. It’s an at-will position here. If you make three of us mad we’ll show you the door,” Meeks said.

            Commissioner Mike Joyner, a career law enforcement officer before moving into politics as a county commissioner, said he has known Bryan for the past 19 years and found him to be a dedicated, hard-working prosecutor who was willing to personally visit crime scenes to become more familiar with the cases.

            “I’ve known this man a long time. Any man who can start his career in traffic court and work his way up to handle death penalty cases the way he has can certainly adjust from criminal law to county law,” Joyner said. “I’ve known him to come out in the middle of the night. He was that dedicated. Glenn is the type of man who can walk in here and do his job in 30 days and you would think he’s been here three years.”

            Commissioner Lilly Rooks, like Joyner, felt that Bryan had the grit and determination to make a good county attorney despite lacking work experience in county government, but she wasn’t impressed by Mai.

            “The first one (Bryan), I think we have an opportunity to mold him into the attorney that we want,” Rooks said. “The second one (Mai) scares me. He’s done a lot of work with cities. He knows the cities apparently better than the counties, so is he going to put the cities first in anything or is it going to be the county who’s first?”

            Commissioner Rock Meeks said the county was between a rock and a hard place in choosing a new county attorney.

            “It’s never easy. It’s usually the most difficult. This position moving forward is a very important position, one of the most important we’re going to fill. How long’s it going to be before the next one? Both have their strong points,” Meeks said.

            Commissioners ultimately settled unanimously on Bryan as their top choice for the next county attorney. They know he has little knowledge of how a county attorney’s office functions, but said he wants the job and he wants to serve the people of Levy County.

            Bryan has worked as the division chief of the Levy County office of State Attorney since April 1, 2018, prosecuting serious felony offenses ranging from sexual abuse to drug trafficking and homicides.

            He served for two years as the prosecutor who worked on firearms-related offenses, seeking enhanced sentencing for individuals who committed violent gun offenses.

            Before that, he was assigned to prosecute criminal offenses in the special Victim’s Unit which focused on the physical and sexual abuse of children and sexual offenses involving adult victims.

            All of his experience has been in the Eighth Judicial Circuit, which includes Levy County. He has worked in every county in the district and has established connections in all those jurisdictions. Bryan feels the friendships he has established will offer opportunities to reach out to his peers in other counties when he needs guidance on a particular issue.

            Brown is leaving at the end of June and her legal assistant, Susan Haines, is also leaving her post when Brown departs. Bryan will have to replace Haines as well as learn how Brown’s office operates.

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Board of County Commission Attorney Interviews June 8, 2021; Posted June 8, 2021