Manatee County promotes from within for utilities chief

BRADENTON — Manatee County named Mike Gore, a longtime solid waste division manager, to run the Utilities Department.

Gore, according to a release, will replace Dan Gray, who will retire after 30 years with the county. About 100 people applied for the position, the county says. Gore's formal promotion, for director of the Utilities Department, will go before the county commission for approval at its next regular meeting, scheduled for July 30.

Gore has worked his way up in Manatee County government since he was hired in 1984. He started as a part-time distribution technician, where he assisted with water service installations and repaired broken water lines. He later worked in the utilities water division, and in 1998 he was named superintendent of the Lena Road Landfill.

“Mike's knowledge of our systems, his dedication, professionalism and most of all his outstanding leadership skills made him the standout candidate,” County Administrator Ed Hunzeker says in the statement.