Although it’s a move being made by several other counties across the state, Marinette County officials aren’t ready to implement a Deputy County Administrator who would temporarily take over should the current or future administrator become unable to fulfill the duties of their role. The county’s Executive Committee was asked to consider the feasibility of naming a Deputy Administrator at their meeting last week. County Board Chairman Mark Anderson proposed allowing the Administrator to recommend a Deputy Administrator chosen from among existing county department directors.
Committee member Ken Keller says the county has been able to bridge the gap between outgoing and incoming administrators in the past and it’s difficult to know ahead of time which department head might be up to the task of leading the county should the need arise.
Many committee members were concerned about the additional stress and responsibility a department head might feel if they were named Deputy Director or how the title could impact compensation levels. Ultimately, the committee took no action on the issue.