Bar may be set
too high for
new manager

The county has set high standards for its new county manager, maybe too high.
The on-line advertisement states that county manager candidates must have 10 years of managerial experience and a master’s degree in public administration or a similar discipline.

We have advocated on many occasions that the county should find the best manager possible, allocating a higher salary if necessary to get the right man or woman.
Maybe the commissioners are trying to find a quality candidate by aiming high, but the problem here is that the standards set by the county will exclude a number of potentially suitable candidates. So far, the county has received applications from only two candidates.

A more practical approach would be to establish guidelines that include managerial experience and a degree in public administration. That would open the pool up to more candidates, then commissioners could set the bar as high or low as desired, depending on the pool.

An overwhelming majority of commissioners voted not to renew the contract of current county manager Jim Varner, but he will likely continue on – maybe for months – if more candidates aren’t found. The county’s financial situation is dire and new leadership for county staff is a must.

If the pool of applicants doesn’t increase soon, the position should be re-advertised.

As we suggested in a previous editorial, we’d also like to see the process opened up to the public for review. The current process is closed, and that apparently hasn’t enticed more candidates. Confident candidates don’t mind being interviewed in the open.

County residents voted for change in county government in the last election and there will surely be changes in the next election as well. If the county is to head in a better direction, a professional manager will be a key in leading the way.
But without more candidates, it will be difficult to gauge whether the best choice is found.