Three finalists named in search for new Anoka County administrator

Anoka County officials have chosen three finalists in the search for a new county administrator and will interview them June 24.

Those still in the running include Jim Dickinson, who has served as the city administrator in Andover for nearly 20 years; Noah Schuchman, former city administrator in Duluth who is currently serving as interim city manager in Golden Valley; and Christel Querijero, deputy county administrator in Sonoma County, California.

Anoka County, the state’s fourth-largest county, with about 369,000 residents, has been without an administrator since longtime Administrator Rhonda Sivarajah retired last year. Deputy County Administrator Dee Guthman has been filling the role since her departure.

The county hired a consulting firm in November to conduct a nationwide search and had originally set Feb. 21 as the application deadline. Several dozen candidates applied for the job paying $225,000 to $275,000, but the county board voted to extend the deadline to early May.

“We want to ensure we have the highest quality, most diverse group of applicants for consideration,” Anoka County Board of Commissioners chairman Mike Gamache said at the time. “The position of administrator is integral to the operations of the county, so it’s very important we select the right person to lead us into the future.”

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and at least 10 years of job-related experience, or an equivalent combination of both, the job posting said.

The finalists selected from 78 candidates who applied will interview with a county leadership team and Anoka County commissioners.