DOCUMENT DOWNLOADSPDF: Detailed job description
Whitfield County commissioners may name a new top administrator early in the new year.
Current County Administrator Bob McLeod leaves today after about four years on the job, but commissioners plan to wait until the first week in January to begin interviews for a replacement.
“I’ve got two new commissioners coming at the first of the year, and I thought it made sense to wait until they are sworn in,” Chairman Mike Babb said.
Robby Staten and Gordon Morehouse will replace Randy Waskul and Mike Cowan on the board at the first of the year. Staten defeated Waskul in July’s Republican primary. Cowan chose not to seek re-election, and Morehouse was unopposed in both the primary and general elections.
The county received 48 applications for the administrator’s job and is down to fewer than 10 finalists, said Commissioner Harold Brooker. By law, the county must release the names of finalists when fewer than three are being considered.
Commissioners won’t meet face-to-face with the potential new hires until after the first of the year, Babb said.
The county administrator runs day-to-day operations and reports to commissioners. The administrator is supposed to set goals, work with department heads and determine staffing levels and organizational structures, according to a job description posted online. The pay range is $85,000 to $125,000, according to the job posting. The application deadline was Nov. 30.
On Tuesday, McLeod said he plans to form a private government consulting firm after his retirement. Though his last day on the job is Thursday, he will be on accrued vacation time until Dec. 31, Babb said.
McLeod came with an extensive résumé. He retired from the U.S. Navy and was a county government administrator in Delaware for 16 years before coming to Whitfield County.
“It’s going to be hard to replicate that sort of experience in another candidate,” Babb said. “But we feel good about the candidates we have.”
Brooker said commissioners will likely meet on or before Jan. 8 to vote on the new administrator. Babb said he will have called meetings where commissioners can meet privately with the three top candidates.
Contact staff writer Adam Crisp at acrisp@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6323.