Cook County commissioners vote to reopen interim administrator search, invite candidates to next meeting

Cook County — The Cook County Board of Commissioners on a special meeting voted to reopen the posting for an interim county administrator and to accept candidate resumes and cover letters to County Administrator Pat Melvin or the Board Chair for review at the board’s next regular meeting.

The vote, made during a short special meeting called by the Board Chair, moved the board to invite candidates to submit materials so the board can consider finalists at next Tuesday’s meeting. Commissioner Sullivan made the motion and it was supported by Commissioner Gamble; the motion passed unanimously.

The board held the special meeting after members said they had recently reviewed and interviewed candidates and determined the position needed to be reposted. “The reason that we are here is that last week we, had the pleasure of reviewing and interviewing a couple of folks and decided that, we needed to repost the…position for the administrator,” the Board Chair said. Pat Melvin, identified in the meeting as the county administrator, told commissioners she has “1 individual who is open and receptive to talking further about the opportunity” and that she is following up on a couple of other options and has contacted the Association of Minnesota Counties and the League of Minnesota Cities for additional outreach.

Commissioner Gamble urged a due-diligence approach, recommending the board gather names and background information so commissioners could weigh “who, the fit, the practical things relative to the housing, the costs, all of those things and the timeline and a clear understanding of expectation as we move forward.” Commissioner Sullivan said she would like to evaluate local candidates next week and suggested aiming for a start in April if feasible: “I think time is of the essence here…we consider having someone begin during the month of April.”

On procedure, members agreed to separate two issues: the interim appointment and the process for the broader reposting. Commissioner Gamble asked the board to revisit the recruitment process to clarify how the reposting will proceed and to avoid advancing without discussion of process. The Board Chair said she will share a revised timeline later in the day for review by Rowan and Allison, who were referenced during the meeting.

The formal motion passed reads that the board will “open up the interim position and allow candidates to turn in a resume and cover letter to our county administrator, Pat Melvin, or our Board Chair to be then brought forward at next Tuesday's meeting.” The motion was moved by Commissioner Sullivan and recorded as supported during the meeting; the transcript records the motion passing unanimously but does not provide a roll-call tally by commissioner.

The board adjourned after passing the motion and asked staff to provide the revised recruitment timeline and bring candidate materials to the next meeting for consideration.