The search for a top administrator in Whitfield County has been narrowed to three candidates.
Mark Gibson, city administrator in Varnell, Ga.; Sammy Rich, an assistant city administrator in Rome, Ga.; and Michael Thompson, county administrator in Baldwin County, Ala., are the finalists for the county administrator position.
County commissioners worked over the weekend interviewing the three men for the job. A fourth candidate was scheduled for an interview Monday, but that meeting was canceled and the county released the names and resumes of the finalists just after noon.
“All three seem to bring something different to the table,” commission Chairman Mike Babb said. “They are three good candidates. It depends on what the majority of the commissioners want.”
All the finalists are administrators in city or county government. Roughly 50 applications were forwarded to the county by Norcross-based Slavin Management Consultants.
Gibson has lived in Whitfield County for 14 years and risen through several local administration jobs, according to his resume. Previously, he was a Dalton, Ga., police officer, Whitfield court administrator and city manager in Alma, Ga., a small town about 110 miles west of Savannah. He’s been at the helm in Varnell since 2008.
Rich has worked as a planner and government administrator since the late 1990s, according to his resume. He now assists in the management of Rome, Ga., but has direct responsibility for planning and zoning, downtown development, public information and environmental services, among other areas.
Thompson comes from the largest governmental entity. Baldwin County, Ala., is home to Gulf Shores and has a population of 180,000. In his resume, he cites significant reductions in staff while maintaining a growing fund balance as a key achievement during his five years on the job. He was also the county’s lead contact to BP and the Unified Command during the 2010 Gulf oil spill.
All three men hold bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Babb said the county will wait the state-mandated 14 days between naming finalists and selecting a candidate.
“Now we want the media to spread the word and for the public to look at these candidates and let us know how they feel,” Babb said. “We’ll also do some due diligence and continue to research these men.”
The administrator runs the county on a day-to-day basis and reports to the commission. The position has been vacant since former Administrator Bob McLeod stepped down at the end of 2010. The job was advertised with a pay range of $85,000 to $125,000.