An intriguing rumor had been buzzing through the community for the past few weeks, so I felt obligated to ask the question: Have you been approached about running for a seat on the Vero Beach City Council?
“I was,” Joe Baird replied, “but I decided to pass.”
For a couple of reasons.
First, the longtime county administrator recently bought a condominium on Sea Watch Lane in Indian River Shores and, as he put it, “I didn’t want to move back into the city just so I could run.”
Second, after working for the county for 35 years – the last 12 in the top job as administrator – Baird retired in June and, for now at least, has no desire to return to public life.
“I’ve had enough of it, at least for a while,” Baird said. “I can’t say what might happen in the future, as far as politics goes, but I have no appetite for it right now.
“Besides, I’ve made the Shores my home,” he added, “so I didn’t feel this was a good fit.”
Baird would not say who approached him, but it’s a moot point, anyway: He’s enjoying his retirement, which has allowed him to commit to an exercise regimen, read more, pursue hobbies and embrace this new chapter of his life in what he called the “best place to live in Florida.”
At age 59, Baird said he feels healthier – he walks for 90 minutes every morning, often along Ocean Drive, and goes to the gym for workouts four days each week – and happier than he has been in years.
“I didn’t know the stress I was under until it wasn’t there anymore,” Baird said. “Being a county administrator is a stressful job for anyone, but I also worried a lot. It’s just the way I am.
“When I retired, it felt like the weight of the world was taken off my shoulders. Now, there’s no stress. After all those years in a very structured job, there’s no structure to my day.
“I get up in the morning and do what I want.”
And Baird usually does it wearing a golf shirt and shorts.
“No more suits,” he said. “I’ve worn long pants twice since I’ve retired, and both times I felt like I was going to die.”
Baird, whose employment with the county began when he was hired as a staff accountant in 1981, announced his retirement in 2014 – but he actually began the process three years earlier, when he entered the state’s Deferred Retirement Option Program, which allows employees to accumulate additional retirement benefits for up to five years.
He was succeeded as county administrator by Jason Brown, a Vero Beach native who has worked for the county since 1998 and spent the past 12 years serving as county budget director and Baird’s right-hand man.
“We had a good succession plan, which we worked on for five years,” Baird said. “I left the county in very capable hands. Jason is extremely bright and a really good guy who cares about this community.”
Baird said he has so much confidence in Brown’s ability that he doesn’t bother to monitor his job performance as county administrator.
“I don’t keep track of those things because I know that, if something comes up, Jason will take care of it,” Baird said. “I don’t read the local news at all. I don’t want to be involved.”
And when a friend – or a local resident who recognizes him – asks about a county government issue or problem?
“I just put up my hand and say, ‘I’m out of the business,’” he said. “Then I tell them to call the county administrator.”
In case you were wondering: Baird said he has “no regrets” about his stint as county administrator and he’s “proud of what we got done” while embracing a fiscally conservative philosophy that kept tax rates comparatively low.
He said he enjoyed the challenges the job presented, but he doesn’t miss them.
His greatest challenge now? Getting a cellphone signal strong enough to avoid dropped calls at his Indian River Shores condo.
But he has no regrets there, either.
Baird said the condo needs to be renovated, which will remain a priority for the coming weeks and months – so much so that he will put off his plans to travel.
“I really do want to travel, and I probably will once I get settled,” he said, adding that possible destinations include Italy, Spain, the South Pacific, Asia and South America, as well as Canada and states in the western U.S. “I’ve got a lot of travel plans, but I want to get the condo in shape first.
“I’m not very handy, so I’ll have to bring in people to do the work, but I can help,” he added. “I certainly have the time.”
That doesn’t mean Baird is bored, however.
“Not at all,” he said. “Not yet, anyway. … But I think that could happen, eventually.”
So he hasn’t ruled out returning to work – some type of work, possibly as a consultant, though probably not anything full-time.
“It would have to be the right situation,” Baird said. “I’m very fortunate to be able to retire at 59, because I’m still young enough to enjoy a lot of things I was too busy to do when I was working full-time. But I might want to work again, at least on a part-time basis.
“I’ll keep my options open and see what comes along.”
Heck, he might even start playing golf. He’s already a social member at Quail Valley.
Whatever Baird chooses to do with the rest of his retirement, he said he’ll do it from here.
“This county has been very good to me, and this community will always be my home base,” Baird said. “I’ve met a lot of wonderful people here over the years. Some of my biggest critics have become my best friends.”
And if some of those friends approach him again – a year or two from now – about running for public office, I won’t be at all surprised if he considers it.
For now, though, he’s enjoying his morning walks.