When former golf course superintendent Jim Hill decided it was time for a change of scenery in his professional career, he opted for a line of work far less stressful than managing greens for demanding golfers - he started a business to assist other superintendents and entered the world of politics to help his local community.
Hill, 52, currently is vice mayor of Sebastian, Florida, a still somewhat sleepy-ish town in Indian River County that has managed to avoid some of the unchecked growth so common in the state's coastal cities. In mid-November, he will be named the city's mayor, a title he has held so many times (at least five) since he was first elected to the Sebastian City Council in 2000, he admits he is losing count.
"Right now, my title is vice mayor. If you wait a few weeks, I'll be the mayor again," Hill said. "I've probably been vice mayor eight times, and I think five times I've been named the mayor."
Sebastian operates as a city manager-run town. City council, which determines long-range goals for the city, chooses a mayor and vice mayor from its body.
"The city manager runs the day-to-day operations of the city," Hill said. "The city council oversees the city manager and establishes a long-term vision for the city. The city manager takes that vision and makes it happen."
A 1997 graduate of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia, Hill was most recently superintendent from 2005 to 2008 at Pointe West Country Club in Vero Beach, Florida. He left the ranks of working golf course superintendents to start Innovative Drain Technologies, which specializes in clearing clogged drainage systems on golf courses.
IDT provides no-dig clearing of sand, silt, sediment, rocks, roots and other blockages from drainage systems without the need for excavation. The system works through a high-pressure, bullet-shaped nozzle that uses water pressure to work through and clear blockages. Since Hill founded the company, it has expanded to offer video inspection of drainage systems and ground-penetrating radar services.
I've gotten out of it what I went into it to get. I love my community. It's a nice city with a vibrant riverfront district that still has that small-town feel. And we've been able to keep it that way.
Hill's next term as mayor, which runs for one year, will be his last.
"I don't have any intention to run again in 2022," Hill said. "To be honest, my business is doing so well, it takes up so much of my time, and I am traveling so much. I have focused the last 22 years of my life on the City of Sebastian; I think Sebastian is in good hands. I'll let the new guys take over and take control, and I will focus on business and family."
The life of a politician - even at the local level - is not a lot unlike being a golf course superintendent. Both positions have constituents who criticize and praise your work.
"The mayor takes a lot of complaints or praise from the public, does ribbon-cuttings and veterans memorial services," he said. "We take input from the public on what they would like to see happen.
"There is a lot of negative stuff, just like you see in national politics. If someone disagrees with you on one thing, suddenly you are inept and corrupt, all the things you hear about politicians, suddenly you're that person. The difference is, you go to the same church and grocery store as these people, so when negative things are said about you, it sticks to you a little more because you see them in the community."
In more than two decades serving his community, Hill believes he has made a lasting impression on Sebastian, which has a population of about 25,000. Tucked between cities where growth has run amuck, Sebastian and Vero Beach (population 16,000) still have a hint of Old Florida charm about them. That feeling is lost in Palm Bay to the north (population 112,000) and Port St. Lucie (pop. 190,000) to the south.
The road connecting the town to Interstate 95 looks the same today as it did two decades ago. There has been commercial growth, mainly retail shops and restaurants, along the Indian River (Intracoastal Waterway) to provide services to residents and help attract tourist dollars.
"When I came here, (State Road) 512 was four lanes, and you'd see some stores pop up on it. I want to keep it that way," he said. "We've been able to keep Sebastian a cool place. We've built up the riverfront, we've developed the airport to help build the tax base, we've developed parks, but we've been able to keep it a small place that is very cool."
Hill's background in golf has helped the city develop its own IPM program and ward off attempts from those who have promoted pesticide and fertilizer bans.
There is a lot of negative stuff, just like you see in national politics. If someone disagrees with you on one thing, suddenly you are inept and corrupt, all the things you hear about politicians, suddenly you're that person. The difference is, you go to the same church and grocery store as these people, so when negative things are said about you, it sticks to you a little more because you see them in the community.
"We just finished establishing an IPM program that took two years to complete," Hill said. "We've had some fairly boisterous environmental groups push for fertilizer bans and pesticide bans and talk to us about water use.
"My degree is in environmental horticulture, so I have been able to look at these issues through a scientific eye and make recommendations based on that knowledge. I have been able to convince the majority of the council that those bans are not beneficial in the long run and that we are doing the right things.
"We developed a program that is specific for Sebastian, our stormwater issues, parks and wetlands, and we put it into a published IPM that people can look at and read the data. You can talk to people 'til the cows come home that you are doing the right thing, but until you have documentation for them to look at, it is hard for them to listen to you."
So, will Hill miss local politics when he steps away to focus on family and business?
"I've gotten out of it what I went into it to get," he said. "I love my community. It's a nice city with a vibrant riverfront district that still has that small-town feel. And we've been able to keep it that way."
