Hiring of new CFO fuels Kane County power struggle
The hiring of what some believe to be the most important employee in Kane County government may give rise to a political debate that is expected to spill over into the new county board and chairman races.
Sitting county board members will be asked to authorize the beginning of a search for a new permanent finance director. The county lost its longtime finance director, Cheryl Pattelli, a few weeks ago to a job opportunity in Colorado. An auditing firm will be hired to fill the gap for the remainder of the year.
The question moving forward is does the current county board want the new county board and chairman — who will be elected in November — to hire a county chief financial officer shortly after they take office. Delaying the begin of a search until after the elections could leave the county without a permanent financial guru for several months at a time that will already be a major transition for county government.
Some county officials believe the very nature of the limbo environment would draw a poor pool of candidates during any search that begins now.
“Your good candidates will know the politics of where we’re at,” county board member Cathy Hurlbut said. “By pre-emptively going out to try to find a pool of candidates, I think you’re wasting your time. You should hold off until you have a new chairman. Why are we trying to short-circuit that new process?”
County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay said the hiring of a new finance director is also part of a larger issue. A pending lawsuit about raises given to department heads following a downsizing and realignment has shown county board members want more input, oversight and direct voting authority over employee pay raises. That discussion would include a position and salary description for a new finance director. But first the county board must decide who will directly oversee the finance director — the chairman or the county board.
“You have to decide if you want a strong chairman form of county government, or do you want a strong board,” McConnaughay said. “Right now it’s very unclear what you want.”
If the county board takes on that discussion, it would have a direct impact on the election. The two candidates for chairman disagree on what roll the county board should have. Democrat Sue Klinkhamer has repeatedly said the county should hire an administrator to handle the daily operations. Republican Chris Lauzen said he’s running for the job as it’s currently constituted.
County Board Finance Committee Chairman Jim Mitchell said he doesn’t see the current county board tackling that issue.
“This board should not decide the limits or structure of the new board,” Mitchell said. “If you get a good county board chairman that can manage and has administrative skill, you don’t need an administrator.”
Mitchell is actively campaigning for Lauzen in the chairman’s race. Mitchell’s plan is to bring a request to start the search for the new finance director without delving into the power structure of county government.