Benson County commissioners pick three applicants for clerk-of-court interviews

The Benson County Board of Commissioners voted to schedule interviews with three applicants for the Clerk of Court opening at a special meeting called to review applications. Commissioner (S2) moved to set up interviews and the motion was seconded; Chair (S4) recorded the motion and called for a voice vote, which carried.

Commissioner (S2) led the panel’s initial screening and highlighted concerns about several applicants’ employment histories — for one candidate he said she had “seven jobs since 2019” averaging roughly seven months per job — and praised another applicant as the strongest in the pool. Chair (S4) recorded the names tied to the motion on the floor: “We have motion and a 2nd to interview with 3 candidates, Ariana Landry, Kayla Smith, and Alicia Badger,” (as read into the record), though commissioners also discussed similar names earlier in the meeting and there was some inconsistency in spellings across the application packets and discussion.

The board agreed the interviews should proceed and directed staff to set up the dates; commissioners discussed trying to schedule interviews for Sept. 29 with Sept. 30 as an alternate. The next formal step will be the interview panels and the candidate interviews, which the board authorized staff to organize.