The board has also appointed seasoned public health official Jim Rutherford to lead its Health and Community Services Department.
Kalamazoo County might fill its vacant top administrator’s post sooner than expected. The board had talked of a starting a new search for candidates. But on Tuesday commissioners went a different direction, voting to interview county finance director and controller Tracie Moored for the position.
Moored appears to have broad bipartisan support from the board. Some commissioners wanted to hire her immediately on Tuesday. Ultimately they decided that Moored should have a public interview first.
Moored says she’s “very interested” in the position and that a formal process will help her understand what the county wants from its next administrator.
“I’m honored that they’re willing to have that discussion with me, but I also would like to have that additional discussion with them, to make sure that that is mutual,” she says.
The county has gone for most of two years without a permanent administrator. Peter Battani resigned from the post in late 2014. About a year later the board hired Terrence Neuzil to replace him, but Neuzil resigned just a few months into the job. The county was investigating complaints that Neuzil had made inappropriate comments to staff.
Commissioner Dale Shugars says finding an administrator now would allow the incoming board to focus on other projects. He said this commission has felt the absence of a top leader.
“It would have been nice to have had an administrator that we could rely on for setting the agenda and working forward,” Shugars says.
If hired, Moored’s contract would be up for review in a year. The board will interview her at a special public meeting on November 29 at 3 pm.
Health Department
The new director of Kalamazoo County’s health department says he’ll work to lower the county’s exceptionally high mortality rate among African-American infants. Jim Rutherford says he also wants to prepare for possible changes in national health care policy.
Rutherford has worked for Kalamazoo’s health department before but in recent years has served as Calhoun County’s Health Officer. Rutherford says Calhoun County has lowered its infant mortality rate and he wants to see the same happen in Kalamazoo.
He also says that if the Affordable Care Act is dismantled at the federal level, that would have consequences for local health care consumers. Rutherford says the county needs to prepare to help them should the law change.
