Jackson County Legislature names Phil Lavoda in 8-1 vote to move forward on interim county executive resolution

The Jackson County Legislature on Oct. 13 completed interviews of candidates for the interim county executive post and voted to add Phil Lavoda's name to the appointment resolution, adopting that resolution by an 8-1 roll-call vote.

Legislators conducted a series of three-minute opening statements and follow-up questions for a slate of applicants during a special session that the chair said replaced scheduled hearings. After the interviews, the legislature nominated three finalistsChristine Taylor Butler, Phil Lavoda and Dan Tarwaterand held a first round of balloting. The clerk read the ballots aloud: Lavoda received five first-round votes and Tarwater received four. The body then voted to add Lavoda's name to Resolution 2201771 and adopted that resolution 8-1 in a roll call that showed eight "yes" votes and one "no" vote.

The adoption followed the legislature's stated procedure: nominations, secret ballots, elimination of the lowest vote-getters and then a resolution to finalize the appointment. During the voting roll call the clerk recorded the following votes on adoption of the resolution: Anderson: yes; Peyton: yes; (Sean) Smith: no; Abarca: yes; Husky: yes; Franklin: yes; Lauer: yes; (Megan) Smith: yes; McGee: yes.

The session also included immediate administrative actions tied to the executive transition. The clerk read a set of executive orders issued earlier by the outgoing county executive and by the incoming acting executive. Among those were appointments and rescissions: Frank White had issued executive orders appointing a director of human resources and a director of finance and updating personnel rules; the later executive actions rescinded some of those orders and named interim directors. During the meeting the legislature considered a motion to disapprove Executive Order 2518 (appointments to the Senior Services Fund board) but that motion failed on a roll call, 4 in favor of disapproval and 5 opposed (the clerk recorded yes votes from Abarca, Husky, (Megan) Smith and McGee; no votes from Anderson, Peyton, (Sean) Smith, Franklin and Lauer).

Lawmakers repeatedly framed their questions and evaluation criteria around two principles they said would guide their decision-making: whether an applicant could think independently and whether the applicant had the courage to stand on their convictions even when doing so was unpopular. Legislators pressed applicants on several recurring issues: the 2023 property tax assessment crisis, the need to restore public trust, workforce retention and county finances, and the Responsible Bidders Ordinance (RBO) that the legislature adopted to set labor-related standards for county contracts.

Applicants interviewed included local elected officials, attorneys, nonprofit and community leaders, and private-sector managers. Several applicants emphasized management experience, familiarity with county operations, and commitments to transparency and working with the legislature. Multiple applicants said they would treat the interim role as a stewardship position limited to completing the current term rather than seeking the office in the next election.

The legislature announced next steps at the end of the meeting: after adding Lavoda's name to the appointment resolution and adopting the resolution, the clerk read the result into the record. Other immediate items discussed were county administrative contracts and personnel matters that the clerk and legislators said would be taken up at the next scheduled meeting so work could continue without a prolonged pause.

The meeting record shows the interviews began with a public announcement that all agenda items would be held until the following week and that the day's business consisted of interviewing and voting to fill the interim county executive vacancy. Several applicants were not present in the chamber for their interviews and waited in a holding area, as legislators noted.

The session ended with routine adjournment after the roll-call votes and a brief discussion about scheduling upcoming business in light of the interim appointment.