Inspector General committee narrows field to four finalists, schedules March 5 interviews

The Palm Beach County Inspector General Committee narrowed its candidate pool and set interviews after a lengthy recruitment update on Feb. 5, 2026.

Paul Matteoto, the county recruitment selection manager, told the committee the inspector-general posting (Jan. 9–30) generated 13 applications; "12 of which I deemed as qualified against those minimum qualifications," he said. Matteoto reviewed the minimum qualifications in the ordinance (a bachelor’s degree plus 10 years of relevant experience) and listed preferred certifications—Certified Inspector General (CIG), Certified Inspector General Investigator, Certified Inspector General Auditor, CPA, Certified Internal Auditor, and Certified Fraud Examiner.

Members debated whether to narrow candidates based on preferred certifications or evaluate individual experience. One committee member urged that the next inspector general be “bulletproof” — meaning selected through a process that would withstand later challenge — and several members emphasized the need for thorough due diligence. After discussion, the committee voted to perform a paper-based culling process and then voted to remove several applicants who did not meet the stated minimums or who had withdrawn. The clerk recorded that one previously noted ineligible applicant, Howard Brown, had already withdrawn his name.

A subsequent motion to advance finalists passed. The committee approved interviewing Kalinthia Dillard, Matthew Dove, Jim Kurdar and Anthony Zirkle; HR will perform background checks, verify educational credentials and confirm claimed certifications before the interviews. The committee set interviews for March 5 at 2:30 p.m., using a round-robin format similar to recent county hiring panels. HR and recruitment staff said prior similar processes ran roughly 2½–4 hours for four finalists and recommended consistent questions, a three-minute time limit for candidate answers and a one-minute follow-up response.

Next steps: HR will notify the four candidates, begin background checks and collect consent forms; after interviews the committee will notify the county attorney of its selection and the county attorney will notify the board as specified in the ordinance. Committee members emphasized they want a defensible, well-documented process before making a final selection.