Before an unusually large crowd Tuesday, the Anoka County Board found itself in the almost unheard of position of casting back-to-back deadlocked votes over who to pick as the county's next top administrator.
It's a rare show of division for the board, which nearly always backs agenda items with largely unanimous votes. But with County Administrator Jerry Soma retiring May 1, commissioners are grappling with an unexpected stalemate over whether to launch an internal search for Soma's successor or hire their colleague and Board Chairwoman Rhonda Sivarajah, who has expressed interest in the job.
Tuesday's impasse could prompt a special meeting on the topic in the coming weeks as the board weighs what to do next.
Those calling for a formal search said the county's past practice of hiring internally without a job posting needs more openness and transparency.
"There is no opportunity to grow a diverse and healthy pool of applicants for the most important job in the county because there is no ability to apply," said Commissioner Mandy Meisner, who has pushed for a job posting with candidate interviews. "When we can do better, we should do better."
But others want to appoint Sivarajah directly, describing her as the best fit for the job, in-house or otherwise.
"We've got some great talent [in-house] that we continue to nurture, but they're not ready yet," Commissioner Scott Schulte said. "Commissioner Sivarajah is, and she's good."
Sivarajah, who worked for years in the county's Human Services Division before being elected to the board in 2003, wasn't there to hear her colleague's praise Tuesday. She was out of town at a National Association of Workforce Boards gathering.
