St. Lucie County Commissioners Schedule Interviews for Six Finalists for the Administrator Job

St. Lucie County Commissioners narrowed down the field of applicants to replace County Administrator Howard Tipton to six finalists, who will meet with county staff, commissioners and the community over a two-day interview process on Thursday, Jan. 26 and Friday, Jan. 27.

Tipton, who spent nearly eight years as St. Lucie County’s eighth county administrator, stepped down on Jan. 12 to become the city manager for Longboat Key on Florida’s west coast. During a special meeting on Jan. 17, St. Lucie County Commissioners, with help from consultant Colin Baenziger & Associates, reviewed more than two dozen applications for the county administrator position and agreed to interview six candidates:

  • Dale "Doc" Dougherty, city manager for Garden City, MI

  • Darren S. Gray, deputy county manager for Osceola County, Fla.

  • Derek R. Scrapchansky, town manager for Topsham, ME

  • Eric R. Johnson, city manager for Norcross, GA

  • George C. Landry, public utilities director for St. Lucie County

  • George M. Stokus, assistant county administrator for Martin County.

St. Lucie County staff will take the candidates and their spouses on a bus tour of the county on Thursday, Jan. 26, followed by a meet-and-greet event with county department directors that afternoon. County commissioners will host a community reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Havert L. Fenn Center, located at 2000 Virginia Ave., for the public to meet the candidates.

Candidates will spend the morning of Friday, Jan. 27 conducting one-on-one interviews with each St. Lucie County Commissioner, followed by a special County Commission meeting at 2:20 p.m. in the Commission Chambers, where all five Commissioners will interview each candidate as a Board.

St. Lucie County Commissioners will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 9 a.m. in the Commission Chambers of the Roger Poitras Annex, 2300 Virginia Ave., to decide which candidate will be offered the position of St. Lucie County’s administrator.

 

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