The Montezuma County Board of Commissioners voted to hire from within to fill the position of county administrator.
After a discussion about three finalists during a special meeting Dec. 21, they decided to offer the job to county landfill manager Shak Powers.
The commissioners said Powers’ drive, success managing the landfill and knowledge of the county made him the better candidate.
Commissioner Keenan Ertel described Powers as “exceptional” and someone who has the work ethic to handle the challenges of the job.
“He learns rapidly and is good with numbers. He will help build this county,” Ertel said.
Commissioner Larry Don Suckla said Powers’ character, familiarity with county departments and “out-of-the-box creative thinking” was needed to move the county forward and face economic challenges of declining revenues.
“There is not much that is insurmountable for this guy,” he said.
Commissioner James Lambert said Powers had good “leadership skills and that it’s better to promote from within” to gain a county administrator who is more likely to stay long-term.
Powers, 40, started as a laborer at the county landfill and worked his way up to become manager in 2014. During that time, he oversaw the transition from a bale-and-stack to a compaction system, implemented a large-scale recycling program, opened an Upcycle Store that salvages usable items for sale to the public and managed the landfill in compliance with Colorado Department of Health and Environment regulations and permits.
Powers has a background in the refrigeration and cooling industry and volunteers for local search and rescue efforts.
“I’ve already worked with planning, the health department, GIS, the fairgrounds, the commissioners and the Sheriff’s Office, and I have management experience,” he said.
The commissioners were confident Powers could take on the larger responsibilities of managing departments and the county and said one does not necessarily need to be a certified public accountant to learn the job.
Outgoing Administrator Melissa Brunner said she would be available to aid in the transition. The commissioners said they would support Powers with job training.
Powers was informed Friday that he was chosen for the job and the terms are being negotiated. Starting salary for county administrator is $80,000 per year.
If Powers accepts the offer, a replacement will be sought from within to take over management of the landfill.
“This is a good story for Montezuma County, that you can start out as a laborer for the landfill and end up as county administrator,” Suckla said.
Chuck Giannone and Travis Parker were the other two finalists considered for the job.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com