Flashback Friday: Ever wonder what happened to Commissioner Cummings? This column ran last month in the Charlotte Sun. Cummings focuses on finances in third career By CHRISTY FEINBERG Senior Writer Not many candidates refer to losing an election as a “rather liberating experience.” But that’s Adam Cummings, with his Opie-esque idealism. Cummings, just 47, is starting a third career after 16 years as a Charlotte County commissioner and a previous life in maritime-related positions. “The citizens of Charlotte County gave me a gift and a privilege when they let me serve them for so long,” he said. He felt a bit guilty when he decided not to seek re-election in 2010. “I was letting some folks down,” he said. “I didn’t have another four years in me.” Then he saw a new avenue to serve the community, as Supervisor of Elections, in 2012. “I felt obligated to at least try to serve the community in another role using the tools they had given me,” he said. “They said, ‘No thank you.’” Cummings, a Republican, lost to current Supervisor of Elections Paul Stamoulis in the primary. “Now I can move on. I don’t have to feel guilty anymore. ... I gave it my best effort. I lost and that’s OK.” Cummings began interviewing with Edward Jones shortly after the primary. With a master’s degree in business administration already under his belt, he started working there as a financial adviser in November. “In a lot of ways, it’s using the same skill-set,” he said. “I’m helping people achieve their goals.” One of Cummings’ greatest skills as a commissioner was his thoroughness and preparedness. Those traits, and his fondness for spreadsheets and facts, led to saving millions of dollars in the Peace River water plant expansion. During Cummings’ tenure, the county achieved many goals, including securing a relationship with the Tampa Bay Rays. Cummings, who is more of a numbers cruncher than a sports fan, studied the proposed contract looking for something that would cause him to balk. “I was looking pretty critically at it,” she said. “I couldn’t find any fault with it. ... It’s certainly a good thing for Charlotte County.” The passages of the county’s one-cent sales tax allowed for the creation of the regional parks, sidewalks and other projects. “The fact of the matter is, I put my neck on the line,” he said. “I openly campaigned, I openly supported the political action committees that were supporting the sales tax.” The fact of the matter is, he really put his neck on the line in 2002 when he chose to support Democrat Dick Loftus instead of his Republican peer Matt DeBoer. Republican clubs shunned him, including one women’s group that withdrew its invite to the commissioner to have him speak about phosphate mining. “I don’t have any regrets,” he said. “I always viewed local politics as a different thing from partisan politics.” He views local politics as “nuts and bolts.” “You just try to figure out what’s right for your community.” “When the stuff with Dick Loftus happened ... obviously I annoyed some folks,” he said. He didn’t purposely set out to offend people, said the Opie-part of him. At about that time, Cummings realized something else. “One of the things I hadn’t realized was how much time and money I had taken away from Terry and the boys,” he said of his family. He stopped being a member of clubs and organizations to focus more on his wife and sons, Devin, 18, and Colin, 15. “I’m still putting in a whole lot of hours,” he said. “I’ve never been a person who had a job. I tend to have careers.” Despite his self-proclaimed “unhealthy sense of duty,” Cummings has no plans to run for office again. “It’s a lot like building your own business,” he said. “You build a client base and that takes a lot of work. ... I’m making new commitments now. I’ve got an obligation.” He hopes to eventually open his own office in Punta Gorda. Email: cfeinberg@sun-herald
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:36:45 +0000
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