Scott County votes to hold onto its interim administrator

Last update: July 29, 2009 - 12:09 AM

Gary Shelton on Tuesday was named Scott County's new top administrator by a board that narrowly decided not to stage a full-scale search.

INTERIM POST: The former sheriff's deputy has been the interim administrator since January, after his boss, Dave Unmacht, resigned for a job in the private sector.

NO FORMAL SEARCH: Two members of the five-person board, Joe Wagner and Tom Wolf, had argued for a formal search.

Commissioner Barb Marschall said the problem with searches, when there is a strong inside candidate whom everyone has known well for years, is that they sometimes yield impressive-sounding candidates who in fact don't work out that well.

NO CHANGE IN PAY: Shelton agreed to continue accepting the $129,000 salary he received as deputy administrator reporting to Unmacht. The county is struggling with budget problems and has worked with unions on salary cuts for their members. The maximum salary for the job is $150,000.

Board chair Jon Ulrich said the board, in evaluating Shelton's work in his interim role, "unanimously felt he exceeded expectations."

The appointment, approved on a voice vote, is effective immediately.

DAVID PETERSON