MOULTRIE — Colquitt County officials hope to have a new finance director in place in early November and then begin the search for a new county administrator.

The successful candidates will replace Miriam Faircloth, who resigned last month, and Marion Hay, who is serving as interim county administrator following the abrupt resignation of J.D. Byrd in July.

On Thursday county commissioners interviewed three candidates for the finance director’s position and will interview a fourth candidate next week.

Ordinarily the county administrator would hire a finance director, but Hay said Thursday afternoon that he wished to have the commissioners involved because he is a temporary employee and the next county administrator will have to work with the person selected.

“It’s my job to hire them, and I won’t be here,” he said. “I want them (commissioners) to give their blessing.”

If all goes as planned a new director could be hired on or about Oct. 1.

“Everybody we’re interested in has got jobs,” Hay said. “Certainly they would have to give their employers 30 days’ notice. I would hope by Nov. 1. Maybe we could have somebody on board by then.”

Since Faircloth left, Hay said, Lisa Brown has been filling in well. He said he will wait to fill the finance director’s position before concentrating on finding a new administrator.

“I’ve got three or four things I’m working on,” he said. “Finance director is the first priority. I want to get this finance director out of the way. Once we get them in I’ll start screening those administrator job applicants.”

Nine applications for the administrator position have been received so far.

Hay could not give a target date for hiring a new administrator, but wants it to be “as quick as we can.”

“I was just hired as a temporary until we could find somebody,” he said. “I’m hoping they will get some quality applicants.”