Pending final contract negotiations, it appears as though Blaine County will soon have a new face to permanently replace interim County Administrator Stan McNutt.
Based on the results of a public reception held in Hailey on Thursday, and a follow-up interview session where officials from the various cities in Blaine County were given the opportunity to question the final four candidates for the position, the Blaine County Commission selected Michael McNees to fill the permanent position.
McNees currently lives in Sarasota, Fla., which is located on the west coast of the state.
At Thursday's public reception for the final four candidates—held on the outside patio at the Heidi's Hofbrauhaus restaurant in Hailey—McNees expressed his excitement about being considered for the position.
"We are both really, really excited to be here," McNees said of himself and his girlfriend, who traveled to the Wood River Valley with him for the reception.
Asked why he's interested in relocating so far from where he now lives, McNees noted he often travels west to the Rocky Mountain states on vacation.
"I guess this is where opportunity and lifestyle mix," he explained. "Twenty-seven years in Florida, that's a lot of hurricanes."
In a press release sent out by the county Monday, McNees' qualifications for the job were highlighted.
McNees brings with him a strong background in county government, city government and he has previous experience working with federal land management agencies. From 2001 to 2007, he was the city manager for Sarasota, a city of 54,000 people.
The press release goes on to say that Sarasota is one of the fastest growing urban areas nationally, and has a tourism-based economy. The city of Sarasota has more than 800 employees and operates on a $140 million budget.
In Sarasota, McNees also served as the executive director of the Downtown Community Redevelopment Agency, and oversaw nearly $1 billion worth of redevelopment projects.
Prior to that, McNees held several positions with Collier County, which covers more than 2,000 square miles and encompasses much of Florida's Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. His jobs in the county, stretching back to 1984, included assistant county manager, Management and Budget director, utilities administrator and finance director.
Blaine County officials also interviewed Richard Nelson, of North Ogden City, Utah; Scott Vargo, of Summit County, Colo., and Jay Harrington, of Telluride, Colo. The final four candidates were selected from a national field of 33 contenders.
All of the final candidates were strong contenders for the position and each had his own strengths, Blaine County Commissioner Tom Bowman said during the public reception Thursday.
"We could not have been more satisfied with the four finalists we had for the opening. It was difficult choosing just one, and we are excited that Mike McNees accepted out offer," Bowman said. "Now we are trying to get him here as soon as possible. The community will be very pleased."
The county's decision to hire a permanent county administrator follows last year's discussion by the County Commission on whether the three-member commission should be expanded to five members. The idea, put forth by Commissioner Sarah Michael, was rejected by commissioners Tom Bowman and Dennis Wright last August.
Bowman and Wright said they felt the move to a five-member commission was premature, especially since the county had already decided to hire a full-time administrator to assist the commissioners with their workload.
Throughout the past year or so, interim Blaine County Administrator Stan McNutt has been working to help the county proceed with the process of creating and hiring a permanent administrator.
Although no definite date for McNees' taking over the position has been announced, McNutt's role of going forward is clear.
"My role, with your permission, enters into exit strategy," he told the commissioners Tuesday.
Sarasota, Fla., resident Michael McNees speaks during a public reception for potential Blaine County administrators held in Hailey on Thursday. Over the weekend, the Blaine County Commission selected McNees to fill the position and replace interim County Administrator Stan McNutt. McNees was selected from a final pool of four candidates. Photo by David N. Seelig
