County Administrator Narrows: Benton County has narrowed it down to two finalists for the Benton County Administrator position and hopes to have a final decision soon.
“The recruitment process has now been narrowed down to two exceptional candidates, Rachel McEneny and Nancy Newton. The County is aiming to reach a decision within the next week,” said Benton County Public Information Officer Cory Grogan.
McEneny has served the City of Albany, New York, since 2016. She spent her first year as the Budget Officer before being promoted to the Commissioner of Administrative Services in 2017.
While Newton has served as the City Manager for the City of Springfield, Oregon, since 2020. Prior to her time in Springfield, Nancy was the Assistant County Executive/Chief Operating Officer for Sacramento County, California, for four years.
“Following the decision, there will be a series of steps that need to be taken, including reference checks and negotiations, before a final hiring decision can be made and a start date can be determined,” said Grogan.
Whoever is selected will likely not assume their duties until sometime in the fall.
CERT Trainings Resume: Also happening in Benton County, they have announced they have resumed training for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program.
The Benton County CERT team recently conducted its first in-person FEMA Basic CERT course since the pandemic began and welcomed new members to the team.
“The training covered a range of topics from fire safety and light search and rescue to medical and psychological first aid and rounded out with a disaster simulation exercise. Thank you to Philomath Fire & Rescue for their assistance with this training.,” said a release from the county.
The course is geared toward adults, but is open to people age 16 and older. Individuals under 18-years-of-age must have signed consent from a parent or legal guardian and must be accompanied by the parent or legal guardian during the class.
If you are interested and would like to learn more about this valuable program, send an email to cert@bentoncountyor.gov or visit the Sheriff’s website to learn more.
By Jennifer Warner
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