Walton reopens search for new county administrator after commissioners reject 12 candidates

SANTA ROSA BEACH -- Walton County commissioners are reopening the search for a new county administrator, indicating they were unhappy with the 12 candidates already recommended by the executive search firm hired to find someone to lead the county government. The Walton County administrator currently oversees 460 full-time employees and 50 part-time or seasonal employees, and manages a $239 million budget.

Commissioners took the action at their Tuesday meeting with at least one of them denying the move was made because commissioners had not seen an application from some unnamed party that they may want to put into the position.

Background: Walton administrator stepping down; commissioners ironing out succession plan

From earlier this year: 'You won't understand': Walton chairman says public should just trust commissioners

"It's not my goal to open the door to new candidates," said Commissioner William "Boots" McCormick. "This ain't like there's somebody out there that didn't put in an application that I wanted to get a chance at this (job)."

McCormick's assertion came after Barbara Morano, a south Walton County resident who is a frequent presence at commission meetings, asked point-blank whether the commission was moving to reopen the search "because someone never put their application in to begin with?"

The commission retained GovHR USA, a Northbrook, Illinois-based governmental executive search firm, earlier this year as former county administrator Larry Jones was stepping away from the post. Jones formally left the position on April 1, after taking a few months of medical leave to deal with serious health concerns.

Jones announced in December, as he was preparing for his medical leave, that he was delegating his authority to then-deputy county administrator Dede Hinote. In February, commissioners appointed Tony Cornman, director of the county's code enforcement office, as interim county administrator, and in March, Hinote was fired by commissioners for apparently not being completely truthful about her personal use of a county credit card, even though charges made on the card were reimbursed to the county.

Commissioners' unanimous Tuesday decision to fully reopen the search with GovHR USA came after interim county counsel Clayton Adkinson warned them that going outside of the top 12 candidates listed by the firm, as some commissioners indicated they wanted to do, could subject them to legal difficulties.

"It would raise questions about the process" of selecting a new county administrator, Adkinson warned commissioners. If, for instance, commissioners decided they wanted to bypass the GovHR list entirely, or talk to the search firm's 20th-ranked candidate about the job, and it was discovered that they had bypassed higher-ranked candidates, those candidates could legitimately ask, "Why did you do that?" Adkinson explained.

"I can't stop you," Adkinson told commissioners. But, he added, "My advice is not to do it."

In the end, commissioners opted to have GovHR re-advertise the county administrator position to bring in additional candidates, to notify all 41 candidates already identified by the firm that the search is being reopened, and to allow commissioners to review applications submitted by all candidates, not just those recommended by the firm.

"I don't like any of the top 12 (candidates put forward by GovHR)," McCormick said prior to the unanimous commission decision.

Commissioner Trey Nick took things a bit further prior to the vote, saying not only that he wanted to see information on candidates beyond GovHR's top 12 selections, but that he also wanted to talk with the firm about its selection criteria and selection process.

According to the GovHR posting of Walton County's top administrative post, the minimum base salary set for the job is $150,000 annually, although an eventual compensation package salary for the post is negotiable, based on qualifications and experience.

Listed qualifications for the job include a "bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a major in public administration, public policy, business, or related field, with a master’s degree ... specializing in public/business administration or related discipline preferred."

The GovHR posting also suggests that candidates should have "seven to ten years of progressively responsible experience as a county/city manager or an assistant county/city manager, including extensive experience at a senior level interacting with elected officials and other stakeholder groups."

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Walton County administrator job reopened after commissioners deny candidates