local_story_344200135

Commission has short list for interim post



By Lori Glenn



MOULTRIE -- Colquitt County Commission is scheduled tonight to interview three persons for the position of interim county administrator.

After the recent termination of former administrator Brian Marlowe, commissioners came to a consensus to hire an interim and tossed in recommendations for the position, which will be considered a consulting stint, Chairman Max Hancock said. The three did not apply for the job but were asked if they could be considered in interim capacity.

"We've asked three different people with some background experience in government work if they would consider it. Hopefully, we'll select one who will serve in that capacity at our pleasure until we find somebody full-time," Hancock said.

The commission will consider retired Colquitt County Administrator Marion Hay who is working locally now as a grant writing consultant; retired Colquitt County Superintendent Billy Mock, active in Colquitt County Retired Educators' Association; and former Tift County Administrator Wayne Johnson, a candidate for the administrator's position in the last go-around. Johnson resigned last month from the Tifton post he's held since 1994.

The search for an administrator is anticipated to take four to six months, the chairman said.

Commissioner Merle Hall doesn't think an interim administrator is necessary, saying the decision was "kind of predetermined." But Hall never raised a motion in that regard, believing she didn't have enough support to carry a vote, she said.

"We have excellent department heads. All of our employees are well-trained and do a super job, and we have functioned for 18 months really well without any day-to-day guidance. They all know their jobs ... if they have a question, they can ask any of us -- Max, if he prefers. But I don't see why we need to pay anybody," she said. "I think we need to be saving money instead of spending it. We're double-paying for about three and a half months. ... We can't afford it. The public can't afford it."



(To contact reporter Lori Glenn, call 985-4545, ext. 224.)