Clayton News Daily

The Clayton County Board of Commissioners spent two hours behind closed doors Tuesday night interviewing three candidates for the county’s newly-created county manager position, according to the commission’s chairman.

No decision was made about who will fill the position, and names of the individuals interviewed were not released. Still, Clayton County Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell said it is possible one of the three individuals interviewed could be appointed on Sept. 6, to the position, which was only created and first advertised a month ago.

“The board still has it [the position] under consideration, and has given certain instructions to [county Human Resources Director Renee Bright], who will carry out those responsibilities, and give responses to the commission by the next commission meeting,” Bell said. He added that he could not release the names of the individuals interviewed, nor the instructions given to Bright because the actions took place in executive session.

Whoever gets the position stands to get an annual salary somewhere between $140,000 and $150,000 per year, which is the salary range that commissioners approved last month. The county manager’s duties will include serving as the department head for all employees in the Clayton County Board of Commissioners office, in Jonesboro.

The position was created last month, by a 3-2 vote of the commission, with Bell and Commissioner Michael Edmondson voting against it. At the time, Edmondson said that by creating the position, the commission had “stripped” Bell “of every function, with the exception of signing checks.”