County Board opts to move forward with Administrative government

Since the resignation of former County Administrator James Joerke, the question of whether Cook County should remain under an administrative government structure has been raised by several members of the public and county commissioners. At the special meeting held on Nov. 5, the Board of Commissioners designated the Nov. 12 regular meeting as a time to discuss the question.

One alternative to an administrative government that was suggested was transitioning to a model with a coordinator role. According to the Association of Minnesota Counties, the primary difference between the two roles is that under a coordinator, many of the personnel related duties currently handled by the administrator would fall the the commissioners. Cook County established an administrator role in 2014.

James Joerke shares his perspective

During the conversation about whether or not to stay with an administrative structure, Board Chair Ann Sullivan read a written statement submitted by Joerke. In the statement he wrote that he understood the commissioners’ desire to review whether the administrative form of government was fulfilling the county’s needs, and wanted to offer some additional perspective for the board to consider. He wrote about the complex and time-consuming nature of his former role, pointing out the amount of time that it would take from the commissioners if they were to absorb those tasks into their existing duties.

Joerke also suggested that open meeting law could prevent the commissioners from being able to coordinate effectively to address some of the issues that currently fall under the administrator’s purview, resulting in inconsistent management. He also expressed some concern about the potential result of eliminating a non-political management role, like the administrator, saying, “Turning the management of the organization over to elected officials risks politicizing the work of departments and making it more likely that departmental priorities would change after each election.”

Department heads weigh in

The board heard from several county department heads as part of their considerations. Highway Engineer Robbie Kimmel-Hass, Public Health and Human Services Director Alison McIntyre, Emergency Manager Mike Keyport, and MIS Director and Interim Administrator Rowan Watkins spoke to the experience of working with an Administrator. Each of them expressed support for remaining with an administrative government structure.

All of the department heads who spoke to the board touched on the value of continuity that comes with an Administrator, since there is relatively frequent turnover on the Board. Kimmel-Hass said that his department benefits from that continuity, since so many of the projects that the Highway Department works on span several years. He also expressed that he appreciated having someone in a county management role who is outside of politics. “Politics, unfortunately, seeps into a lot of what we do. Even talking about gravel on roads, or the environment for example,” he said, “What I don’t want is to be put in a position which is then debating science with somebody’s beliefs. That, to me, would not get us anywhere.”

Keyport shared his perspective having worked for both Cook County under an administrator, and in Grand Portage under the Reservation Tribal Council, which he described as being like “having five bosses.” He said that turnover of elected leaders can slow management down, and that he supported the administrative form of government. He summed up his opinion, saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

McIntyre echoed the statements made by Kimmel-Hass and Keyport, and added that the current structure allows the commissioners time to address county residents’ needs on a larger scale. She said, “The challenges facing our community, our departments, are immense. A concern I have with moving forward with a different governmental structure is that that limits the opportunity that each of you have to engage at a state and federal level to advocate for changes that can really make a difference in our community.”

Watkins has been acting as Interim Administrator since Oct. 22. He spoke at the Nov. 12 meeting as both the Interim Administrator and MIS Director, echoing many of the sentiments of the other department heads. On the commissioners’ ability to advocate at the state level, Watkins pointed out that 65 of Minnesota’s 87 counties have an administrator position, saying, “They have an administrator to run the day-to-day, to free them up to go ask for the things that they need. I think it’s important and valuable that we do the same.”

Views from elected officials

County Attorney Molly Hicken and Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers also added their thoughts to the discussion. Hicken advocated for the county to continue with the administrative structure. She said that if the personnel responsibilities that fall under the Administrator’s role were moved to the commissioners’ purview, it would significantly impact the time that they are able to devote to the legislative duties currently on their plate. She added that governance across the state has only become more complex over her 17 years with the county, and that having an administrator helps to ensure that the county is able to keep up with the state changes and work with department heads to help ensure quality of county services.

Powers said that when it comes to the execution of large projects, having an administrator can help ensure their success. He cited previous county projects, like the YMCA and the Law Enforcement Center construction, which ultimately cost more than estimated and have required additional repairs and renovations. He said that from his perspective, the board had “other distractions” at the time of those projects, and needed someone to take the lead. With several major projects in the works for the county, Powers said that leadership from an administrator or possibly a “strong coordinator,” could help ensure better results.

Commissioner Stacey Johnson said that she had some reservations, but that she appreciated hearing from the county employees who spoke, and having the discussion about what the county’s goals were.

There was consensus on the board that the personnel management elements of the administrator role was not something that the commissioners felt comfortable taking on. The board voted unanimously to move forward with a proposal from DDA, an HR firm that works with municipalities, to hire a new administrator. The vote hired DDA to provide services in the search for a new administrator. A representative from DDA gave a presentation to the board, and with the approval of their proposal, they will begin information gathering with an eye toward creating a position profile. DDA was the firm that the county used in 2020 when Joerke was hired.

Kirsten Wisniewski November 13, 2024