The Board of Garrett County Commissioners has modified the requirements for the vacant County economic development director position.
At a recent public meeting, the commissioners disclosed that the position would be opened to a subsequent, third search. The position will be advertised again beginning January 22, 2018.
“A key modification to the search criteria is that we have removed the requirement that the successful candidate have a Certified Economic Developer designation,” said Kevin Null, County Administrator. “We will certainly have access to incredibly experienced and capable candidates without including this specific requirement.” The new job description places more emphasis on entrepreneurship development, workforce development, and business retention and expansion within the County. Also, the description removes specific experience in attracting capital investments.
This position is key for the county administration as it serves a leadership role over resources and infrastructure across all industries and business sectors. “This position will be able to look at economic development as a whole and implement a focused strategy,” said Commissioner Jim Hinebaugh.
The Commissioners are committed to finding a successful candidate but say that the pressure has not been turned up for the selection committee.
Commissioner Hinebaugh has been assisting on a limited basis and Economic Development staff members Kim Durst, Cindy Sharon and Cheryl DeBerry have been moving initiatives forward in the absence of a department director. Garrett County Government has been without an Economic Development Director since April 2017. The Commissioners and community search committee have conducted two previous unsuccessful searches for a new Director.
The Commissioner’s had made offers to a candidate in each of the searches with salary requirements being one of the reasons for the candidates declining the offers. “We were tens of thousands of dollars away on the deals,” Commissioner Paul Edwards said. Other factors such as the acceptance of other positions with other organizations had limited the finalists available. “We will take our time, do what we need to do and find the right person for this role,” Commissioner Larry Tichnell said. The position description and County application can be found on the county website, https://www.garrettcounty.org/
