For the first time ever, Island County will soon have a County Administrator. This person will run the daily operations of Island County departments that the commissioners directly operate and supervise. The departments the County Administrator will run are those who do not have a publicly elected head which include planning, public works, public health, human services and information technology.
Commissioner Bacon said “Having someone in this position will allow us to concentrate on the important policy issues that the community cares about.”
Commissioner Johnson agreed saying “A three-bodied CEO and policy structure leaves us stretched on the policy side and the administrative sides. We need to take steps to shore up the organization before it cracks.”
In the story by Jessie Stensland, she wrote that Commissioner Bacon commented that “commissioners end up spending a lot of time on the minutiae of administration, such as hiring, setting salaries and discipline.” Stensland also wrote that Commissioner Johnson stated “the (County Administrator) will act with the full authority of the board of commissioners on administrative matters but will not be involved in policy decisions and will not represent the board to the public.”
