County goes back to drawing board to find administrator

It may be back to square one for Yuma County's search for a new administrator.

County staff had offered the job to M.A. "Art" Chaudry, former chief administrative officer of Jackson County, Mo. But he turned the position down last week.

The Yuma County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to take no action on the county administrator employment agreement during its regular Monday meeting.

District 2 Supervisor Russell McCloud said the issue would be discussed further at the next board meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, at the Board of Supervisors Auditorium, 198 S. Main St.

Board meetings are usually held on Mondays but the date for this one was changed due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday that week.

McCloud said they may have to start a new national search. They could also go back to the pool of final candidates from which they selected Chaudry.

"We're looking at some options right now. We'll have more information by the next meeting, I'm sure," he said.

He added that Chaudry did not take the position because he was reluctant to make the move to Yuma.

"I believe it was just too much of a lifestyle change for the man, a different culture than what he was used to," McCloud said.

The county administrator is responsible for overseeing the government's various departments and directing staff decisions.

The post has been vacant since May, when David Garcia left to take a job as the city administrator of Chula Vista, Calif., a suburb of San Diego.

Sue Stallworth, clerk of the board, is filling in as acting county administrator.

She replaced interim county administrator Robert Pickels in July so he could return to his regular duties as chief civil deputy county attorney.

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IN OTHER BUSINESS

The Yuma County supervisors unanimously named the 2008 chairman and vice chairman at their regular Monday meeting.

District 5 Supervisor Greg Ferguson was voted chairman of the board. and District 2 Supervisor Russell McCloud vice chairman.

The chairman sets the meeting agenda, controls the meetings and represents the county at official functions. The vice chairman functions in that role when the chairman is unavailable.