Whitfield to choose new county administrator Tuesday

WHAT'S NEXTThe Whitfield County Commission is expected to name the new county administrator in a meeting Tuesday at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held in Whitfield Administrative Building No. 1, 301 W. Crawford St. in Dalton, Ga.

The Whitfield County Commission is set to make a decision Tuesday for the vacant county administrator position.

Former Whitfield County Administrator Bob McLeod left the office in mid-December after four years on the job.

The commission held off the search for a replacement until after the first of the year to allow newly elected commissioners to be sworn into office.

"The administrator is a pretty important job. They oversee the day-to-day operation of the county," said Whitfield Commissioner Harold Brooker.

Since the search began, the commission has winnowed more than 45 applicants to three finalists, he said.

They are Mark Gibson, the city administrator in Varnell, Ga.; Sammy Rich, an assistant city administrator in Rome, Ga.; and Michael Thompson, the county administrator in Baldwin County, Ala.

Whitfield Commission Chairman Mike Babb said all three finalists hold master's degrees and experience in government work.

Babb said the commission will meet briefly at 6:30 p.m. today for an executive session to review the contract, benefits and salary with the candidates before making a formal decision on Tuesday.

Since December, commissioners and county department heads have been taking on some of the administrator's responsibilities until a replacement is named, Brooker said.

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