Headline Surfer photos / Shown here speaking into the microphone is then-County Chair Frank Bruno in this display photo from his 2012 State of the County Address at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach. Shown to his left facing the audience are County Attorney Dan Eckert and At-Large County Councilwoman Joyce Cusack. And to Bruno's right are then-County Councilman Joshua J. Wagner (face partially obscured) and then-County Mager Jim Dinneen. Shown in the smaller image is Wagner from 2013 and Jim Gillum from his Facebook page.
By HENRY FREDERICKDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- I was driving back from an appointment about 9 p.m. when I hit speed dial on my cell phone to call a valued source: Jim Gillum, former sheriff of Pasco County and a candidate for the 2016 sheriff's race in 2016 here in Volusia County.
I was kind of worked up about it, thinking to myself, "Why would he bail on me like this?" I pulled off the road and checked my phone. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I hit the wrong phone contact: It wasn't Jim Gillum that I was talking to. Of all people, it was Jim Dinneen, the former county manager!
I was relieved I hadn't lost a valuable source. But I felt bad because the voice on the other end sounded kind of sad. So I texted Dinneen this message at 8:36 p.m.: "Jim, I'm sorry. I meant to call Jim Gillum."
There was no response. I can just imagine what he might have been thinking. Something like 'Why can't they leave me alone?"
Who knows, but there's nothing I can do about it now except to just move on. I jotted his number down in a notebook of source numbers and deleted his name from my cell phone.
Now the only "Jim" in my active phone contacts is Jim Gillum.