Cook County commissioners held a short special meeting prior to their committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday, September 17 to discuss the upcoming vacancy of the county administrator position.
Last week administrator Jeff Cadwell announced he had accepted the county administrator position in Mahnomen County. His last day on the job here will be October 14. He will start in Mahnomen October 21,where he will become the first county administrator hired by the Mahnomen board of commissioners.
Administrator Cadwell said he would provide options for the county board to consider as they begin the process of looking at either replacing his position or restructuring. County board chair Ginny Storlie said she felt Cook County was now an administratively run county, and board members seemed to agree with her.
Commissioner Dave Mills said he felt that the MATT team and other county staff should be included in any hiring process used by the board to replace administrator Cadwell.
For now the board will get a list of consultants who can help find available candidates who have the skills to fill the administrator position. Cadwell said he knew of two consulting firms he could recommend to help with that process.
Commissioner Mills asked if the board could be presented with a list of the consultant’s services and the timelines they could provide those services in. “That will give us what tools are available,” to help in the hiring process, he said, adding that if there were more than two consulting firms, the board should look at all of them.
In the interim, while the process goes along to find a new administrator, commissioner Myron Bursheim suggested using the skills of the county’s human resource generalist to help the board. “We have a staff member who has some organizational experience,” he said. If that wasn’t an option, the board, the county attorney and county auditor/treasurer might be able to help after Cadwell leaves.
Jeff will provide options for the county going forward.
Commissioner Mills made a motion to begin the search for a new county administrator seconded by Heidi Doo-Kirk with support from commissioner Storlie and commissioner Bobby Deschampe.
Commissioner Bursheim voted against the motion because he wanted input from the MATT team and county staff before the search began. He said he wasn’t against the search for an administrator, but he had a “difference in the process,” used by the board.
Commissioner Mills said, “I don’t feel like we are rushing. I want to get the MATT team’s opinions and value their opinions.”
The commissioners will discuss the process to hire a new administrator at their next county board meeting. Commissioner Doo-Kirk said the process to replace administrator Cadwell would be lengthy.
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