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Citizen work group and commissioners outline priorities for county administrator search
Summary
Commissioners and the citizen work group highlighted evaluation criteria that favored candidates with county or large-city administration experience, fiscal expertise and strong staff relations; the group flagged concerns about a candidate's potential to leave under political pressure.
Commissioners and a member summarizing the citizen work-group observations described why certain finalists rose to the top of the administrator search. The citizen work group's notes, read by a commissioner, emphasized fiscal experience and strong communication as strengths for Matt Farrar and cited concerns that Patrick Waterman could be susceptible to political pressure or might not exhibit dynamic leadership.
The work-group notes cited Farrar's finance background and local-government experience and described him as "fiscally conservative" and "detail driven." The same notes identified perceived weaknesses for Waterman such as being "professional, not dynamic," possible difficulty transitioning to a role that would satisfy both commissioners and staff, and citizen concerns that he might leave under political stress. The same commissioner observed that citizen feedback and staff perspectives were valuable inputs but not determinative.
Commissioners discussed using their individual ballots to select a candidate that matched criteria including: experience in similar-sized governments, ability to execute the county's strategic plan, fiscal competence, staff relationships and capacity to lead during high-pressure events. Several commissioners also stressed the importance of unity and of considering deputy-level appointments from the remaining finalists.
