(ANOKA) – After nearly a month of confusion, hints of acrimony, and a spirited work session that resulted in compromise, Anoka County Commissioners voted Tuesday to move forward with a plan to post the job of county administrator.
Commissioners voted 6-0 in favor of a resolution to post the job and make it open to current county employees, county elected officials (with county-wide constituency), and former county employees who have worked for the county within the last five years. The job will be posted here until April 23.
“I think we do have qualified talent, internally, and we should be tapping that long before we
take the risk and look externally,” said Commissioner Matt Look, who shared the sentiments of a few other commissioners that the board only look to appoint someone, as it has done in the past.
That was challenged principally by new Commissioner Mandy Meisner and Commissioner Mike Gamache, spurring the compromise.
“This is a big deal,” said Meisner. “We do have a process in place that has not been happening since the
1980s, and it’s a big deal, and a good thing. And healthy debate, I think, is important.”
The finalists for the position will be interviewed by a panel that includes Commissioners Robyn West, Gamache, and Vice Chair Scott Schulte.
Anoka County Commission Chair Rhonda Sivarajah wants the soon-to-be-open county administrator role, and thanks to a compromise reached by her fellow commissioners, she is still eligible to apply.
“It’s not the measure of a board whether you disagree or whether you have different thoughts,” said Schulte. “When there’s a separation as there was in our previous meeting, with a 3 to 3 split, the
measure is how you get past that, how you compromise, how you work together in the subsequent
years. That’s the measure of character, and that’s the measure of how a board functions.”
Commission Chair Rhonda Sivarajah abstained from the vote. She has publicly voiced her interest in the open administrator position, and she apparently has the support of some members of the commission. With the new criteria, she is still eligible.
Administrator Jerry Soma is retiring in May.
