By Kari Lucin, staff writer

Rumors that Freeborn County Administrator Ron Gabrielsen is looking for another job in Florida

are out of date, Gabrielsen said Friday. The rumors come from a job he told Freeborn County commissioners he was applying for in 2005.

Gabrielsen said he applied for the job as administrator of Sumter County, Fla., for personal reasons, and was informed he did not get it in December of 2005. He was among 12 finalists for the position. Hernando County made information on the finalists public in September 2005, and it appears in a Sept. 30, 2005, story of the Daily Sun in The Villages, Florida.

The fact that he applied, he noted, may have resulted in him now being on a Florida database of candidates, but he said he has not actively looked for a job since.

&8220;At this time, no, I have not applied for any job in Florida,&8221; Gabrielsen said. &8220;And anybody who

says I have is a liar.&8221;

The Daily Sun lists each candidate. Its entry on Gabrielsen reads: &8220;Ron Gabrielson, county administrator of Freeborn County, Minn., since 2001. Gabrielsen has experience with agricultural counties and was a private business owner and productivity consultant for 10 years. He served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force.&8221;

Gabrielsen has friends and family in Florida, and when a job opened up, he thought he’d seize the opportunity to apply. In an interview with the Tribune, he emphasized how much he loves southern Minnesota and has little interest in leaving.

Bushnell is the seat of Hernando County. The county is experiencing tremendous growth and water issues because of growth. The Florida county, northeast of Tampa and northwest of

Orlando, was interested in Gabrielsen partly because of his experience in dealing with water issues.

&8220;I applied, I wasn’t selected, case closed,&8221; Gabrielsen said.

(Contact Kari Lucin at kari.lucin@albertleatribune.com or 379-3444.)