Back in 2017, six-anda- half months elapsed from the time that Ralph McMullen announced his retirement to the time Carlos Tobar was named Baldwin County’s new county manager.
Six months have now passed since Tobar was fired on the spot. However, County Commissioner Sammy Hall told The Baldwin Bulletin on Tuesday that the search is progressing, and several candidates have been interviewed.
Advancing Georgia’s Counties, the organization previously known as the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, places fairly strict guidelines on county manager searches. The “advertising” and “review” stages have been completed, and the county government is now in the interviews stage.
Currently, Baldwin County has no county manager of any sort. Hall filled in for the first month-and-a-half after Tobar was fired. Paul Van Haute, previously the county manager in Putnam County, then was hired as the “permanent interim county manager,” and his contract ran through the end of this year. Van Haute eventually checked out early, however, leaving the position empty.
Compounding the problem is the county government currently is operating without a finance director. The county manager essentially is the CEO, while the finance director is the CFO.
Dawn Hudson, who most recently held the position, was placed on administrative leave last November and fired on Aug. 24.
Hudson has since sued the county.
Three days after Hudson’s termination, a finance director job posting was listed on the county’s website.
According to the posting, “this position is responsible for the overall administration of the financial activities for all county departments.”
Hall told The Baldwin Bulletin that county commissioners are “leaning towards” waiting to hire a new county manager before hiring a new finance director.