Manatee County Commission votes to advertise interim administrator opening

Manatee County Commissioners voted 4-3 to advertise the interim administrator opening Thursday in an effort to reach more candidates.

The motion also directed County Attorney William Clague to create a draft of an agreement that would constrain the interim administrator's ability to hire and fire staff. Vanessa Baugh, James Satcher and Kevin Van Ostenbridge cast the dissenting votes.

The motion did not specify to HR Director Kim Stroud how long the county should accept applications, though Van Ostenbridge and others suggested a timeframe in the ballpark of one week would be appropriate. Commissioners said Deputy Administrator Karen Stewart, who is serving as acting administrator, does not want to continue in the latter role past the end of her term March 23, giving the commission a de facto deadline to find an interim administrator.

Interested applicants are to send their resumes directly to the county, where they will then be passed on to the commissioners for review.