The Board of County Commissioners, BOCC approved the hiring of Robert E. Slavin, Inc., a search firm to promote and recruit a new County Manager for Doña Ana County.
“I enjoyed seeing that they listed their recent placement experience, which showed recruiting and placement for clients that had a comparable or larger population size to that of Doña Ana County’s,” said Chair Commissioner Christopher Schaljo-Hernandez. “And it looks like they focus primarily on high-level government placements, such as mayors, city councilors and project managers.”
The County began searching for a new manager as current County Manager Fernando Macias will depart at the end of April.
After issuing a Request for Proposals in December, the County’s Purchasing Department reached 21 organizations and four submitted proposals.
At a special meeting Monday, Feb. 12, commissioners evaluated and ranked the proposals, then selected Robert E. Slavin, Inc. The other finalists considered were ITSQuest, Inc., Garza & Associates, LLC, and Adelphi Medical Staffing LLC.
The County process to select a county manager includes the following:
- Develop a candidate profile which includes a review of and updates to the existing job description for county manager for commission consideration.
- Develop a recruitment strategy. This delineates the process, strategy and timeline that will be followed, aligned with the County’s mission, values and strategic priorities.
- Conduct active recruitment and candidate screening. A thorough search is followed by a meticulous screening of each candidate to find the best fit.
- Interview finalists for consideration and selection. Once the commission selects the finalist, the vendor assists with contract negotiations.
- At community outreach meetings and during public input at BOCC regularly-scheduled meetings, commissioners request feedback from residents, across the County.
Among other comments, Commissioners said the proposal included a thorough description of the steps the firm would take to deliver services and their recruiting practices.
The County Commission will work diligently to proceed thoughtfully and efficiently in this selection process. More information will be provided, as the process continues.
