On April 1, 2016, The City Council announced that applications were being accepted for nominations for the Great Brooksvillian Award. The deadline was June 24, 2016. Eight individuals were nominated, and the committee included a ninth person, nominated previously. The list was narrowed to three choices: Luther Cason, Reverend Bruce Gimble, and Lee Slayden Gordon.
With only four council members present, three votes were received for Lee Slayden Gordon, and one vote for Luther Cason. Mrs. Gordon, who passed away in 2009, had a lasting impact not only on Brooksville, but also affected the entire county. There were several applications presented on behalf of Mrs. Gordon which recalled her love of music, and how she shared that love with others through her long teaching career.
The City Council will reach out to Mrs. Gordon’s family and announce the details for presentation of the “Great Brooksvillian” award, which is well-deserved. Mayor Natalie Kahler stated, “There is absolutely no denying what Lee did for this community.” She thanked the committee for their work, saying, “These other two, as well as the others that were listed, just shows us what a great community we have, and a great committee.”
In explaining the committee choices, Gail Samples, who is part of the committee, stated that there needs to be more consistency in how the selections are made, especially when there are new members each year. The City Council is only provided with the names of the final three nominees, not the ranking system or scores; however, they do receive the applications and the letters of recommendation.
Vice-Mayor Robert Battista remarked that there seems to be a different methodology used by the committee each year. According to Council Member Frankie Burnett, the committee was instructed after last year’s selection to provide only the top three names with no ranking. Council Member William Kemmerer stated he appreciated the information provided to the council, and especially that no ranking was given.
In order to provide more consistency, a workshop may be scheduled to provide guidance to the committee. Due to budget constraints, the workshop will likely be after the presentation of the award of this year’s “Great Brooksvillian”.
Others nominated were: Gretchen Countryman, Joe Johnston III, Robert (Bob) Martinez, Joseph Mason, Mary Moses, and Frasier Mountain. These individuals, as well as Cason and Gimble, may be considered next year as well.