Meet the county manager applicants at open houses May 13

Sunday, 12 May 2013 20:55

Five candidates - Jim Pascale, Michael Pence, Suzanne Sinclair, Michael Thomas, and David Wilbrecht - will be in the county Monday, May 13 for a series of open house on Orcas, Lopez and San Juan Islands.

The county Council will host the meetings to give residents a chance to talk with the finalists for the job in an informal setting and then provide feedback through the recruiting agency.

After Rich Hughes, Bob Jarman and Jamie Stephens are formally sworn in Tuesday, May 14, 2013, the three-member Council will conduct in-depth interviews with the candidates. Separate panels made up of community members and representatives of the County staff will also each conduct interviews.

The Council is expected to reach a County Manager hiring decision either that evening or on the morning of May 15, 2013.

The open houses will also give the County Manager candidates the opportunity to learn firsthand about the unique qualities of the islands and their residents.

Open House Meetings – Monday, May 13:

Orcas Island - 10:00-11:00 am at the Eastsound Fire Station

Lopez Island - 1:30-2:30 pm at the Lopez Community Center

San Juan Island - 6:30-7:30 pm in the County Courthouse lobby in Friday Harbor

Members of the community are encouraged to attend the open houses. Questions about the recruitment process and events can be directed to Human Resources staff at 360.370.7403.

Short career summaries for each finalist follow:

Career Overviews of Finalists for San Juan County Manager Position

JIM PASCALE resides in Hopewell, New Jersey, and was most recently Township Administrator for Princeton Township, New Jersey, where he served in that position continuously for 30 years. Early in his career, he was also Administrator for Mahwah Township, New Jersey, for four years.

Mr. Pascale has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Studies and a Master of Public Administration degree, both from Rutgers University, New Jersey.

MICHAEL PENCE has been the County Administrator for Flathead County, Montana, for the past 8 years. He has over 32 years of city and county management experience and has been the City Administrator for Kemmerer, Wyoming, City Manager for Ocean Shores, Washington, City Administrator for Sibley, Iowa, Auditor for Hardin County, Iowa, and Deputy Auditor for Grundy County, Iowa.

Mr. Pence was also Commercial Development Manager for the Quinault Land & Timber Enterprise, Ocean Shores, Washington, for five years. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management from Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, Iowa.

SUZANNE SINCLAIR lives in Seneca Falls, New York, and is currently Senior Capital Projects Accountant for Finger Lakes Health, Geneva, New York. Prior to that, she was County Manager for Seneca County, New York, from 2008-2011.

Ms. Sinclair was Island County (Washington) Auditor for ten years and served as Accounting Supervisor for the county's Public Works Department prior to becoming Auditor. Early in her career, she also worked for Edwards & Associates, CPAs, in Freeland, Washington, for almost 10 years. Ms. Sinclair has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Central Washington University, Lynnwood, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana.

MICHAEL THOMAS has been the City Administrator for the City of Enumclaw, Washington, for over three years. Prior to that he served the city as Community & Economic Development Director for five years. Mr. Thomas has 24 years of experience in local government in Washington and he has been a Senior Policy Analyst for the King County Executive's Office-Office of Management & Budget, Senior Planner for the cities of Burien and Federal Way, and he was Assistant Director of Planning & Economic Development for the City of Aberdeen.

He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography from the University of Washington and a Master of Public Administration degree from Seattle University.

DAVID WILBRECHT is from Mammoth Lakes, California, and was most recently Town Manager for that community where he was hired to deal with the town's financial crisis and potential bankruptcy due to a lawsuit. Prior to that, he was County Administrative Officer for Mono County, California, for eight years, and he was also Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services for Mammoth Lakes from 2000-2003.

Mr. Wilbrecht has 18 years of local government experience in Washington, including Deputy Director of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services for the City of Federal Way and Parks Division Manager for the City of Redmond. Early in his career, he also worked for the City of Auburn and for the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office and Planning Department. Mr. Wilbrecht has a bachelor's degree in Sociology from Central Washington University and a Master of Public Administration degree from Seattle University.