Meeting January 12, 2016, Cook County commissioners unanimously approved a $6,000 raise for County Administrator Jeff Cadwell after conducting an evaluation of Cadwell’s first six months on the job. The increase was included in the initial contract that Cadwell signed when he began working for the county.
Cadwell started on July 6, 2015 at a salary of $85,000 per year plus benefits. He was given up to $5,000 to help relocate to Cook County, and he has since purchased a home in Grand Marais.
At the time of his hiring, the board gave Cadwell a list of nine goals they wanted accomplished in his first six months at the helm. See the list on page A7. After an open review, conducted at Cadwell’s preference, the board agreed he had met most stipulations in the criteria.
Commissioner Frank Moe said he was pleased with Cadwell’s performance. “We don’t always agree on everything,” he said, but added, “You [Jeff] have shown an ability to balance your commitment to the board and to the staff.”
Moe asked about the process of conducting performance evaluations for unelected department heads.
Cadwell said he had a list of supervisors who are due for an evaluation in the past six months and that those would be completed soon, following existing policy. He also said he wanted to develop an evaluation policy that tied performance to county and department strategic plans. “It can be much more motivating to tie performance to stated organizational goals,” said Cadwell.
Commissioner Garry Gamble said people have left employment with the county and said they were never evaluated. “We don’t cultivate and let people know where they are at.” Gamble encouraged Cadwell to set procedures and see that job evaluations were conducted.
On that theme, Commissioner Ginny Storlie added, “I appreciate everything that you have done, but people have been contacting me about job performance evaluations.”
She stressed these needed to be done, and she asked Cadwell to do an assessment of the organization so the board could see what needed to be improved.
Commissioner Jan Sivertson was resolute. “Your ability to quickly assess impresses me, but I want more. The assessment is the frosting on the cake. I want to get answers to our questions. That has left me wanting more. I see how department heads have been struggling in their own little worlds.
“I am looking forward to getting to know you more. You are so different from Jay [the late Jay Kieft, former county administrator] and I know he is a difficult act to follow. Our department heads will get more comfortable with you. They want the meat and potatoes and they want solutions. I like your spirit and your creativity, but I also want to hear more plans and goals.”
Sivertson also called on Cadwell to get out and meet the community more, adding she enjoyed hearing him talk on the radio when he was interviewed.
“Jeff is not a bombastic or outgoing person in the community,” said Moe. “We have plenty of us [commissioners] to act this way.”
Moe’s comments were met with good-natured laughter.
Next Sivertson called for quarterly workshops to discuss what has been accomplished and what needs to be addressed.
The board will have a workshop in January, and Cadwell said he would have more updates for them then. He said he understood the frustration of staff that hadn’t undergone a job evaluation in a long time, and he was working hard to correct that.
Board Chair Heidi Doo-kirk said she wouldn’t have accepted the chair position again this year if not for Cadwell. She said he was willing to help her whenever she requested.
In his answers to the board on the assessment of the county’s organization, structure, and culture, Cadwell pointed out that there was “No centralized human resource function; no centralized policy; no clear direction as to what authority department heads have and what items need to be coordinated across the organization. The budgeting process is ineffective and detrimental to the smooth operation of the county. There is no consensus on who or what the county as an employer is; no high level mission or vision. No uniform brand for the county. Some aspects are micromanaged—other items are not managed at all, lack of coordination.”
The board agreed that there was a lot of work ahead On his part, Cadwell said he was very happy to have been given the opportunity to work in Cook County. “I love the people and the place. And I will work diligently with elected officials and staff to steer the ship in a consistent direction.”
Administrator goals included:
1. Introduce yourself to all county staff.
2. Determine and define staff support needed for the administrator position and present a proposal to the board on this topic.
3. Present a proposal to the board for how to address human resources responsibilities immediately and for the future.
4. Develop a working knowledge of the county’s finances and financial practices.
5. Research the potential for a classification study and provide a proposal to the board, including timeline, costs, and recommended organizations to conduct the study.
6. Schedule a board workshop or retreat with a goal of understanding the roles and responsibilities of the board, the new form of governance (County Administrator), and seeking consensus on protocol for board meetings.
7. Propose a plan within the first six months of employment that will ensure that all job descriptions will be brought up to date within the first year of employment.
8. Conduct performance evaluations for unelected department heads, come up with a recommended structure, procedure, and criteria for these performance evaluations with the goal of passing a new policy.
9. Present written assessment of the county’s organizational structure and culture including any first impressions and recommendations.
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