Anoka County Board Chairwoman Rhonda Sivarajah has emerged as the front-runner for the county's top job, following an internal search to replace Jerry Soma ahead of his June 1 retirement.
But Sivarajah's unusual bid to move from sitting commissioner to county administrator continues to stoke debate among residents and some county officials. Not all her colleagues on the board are convinced she's the best pick to run the state's fourth-most populous county.
A County Board panel on Wednesday interviewed six candidates vying for the appointment, and three advanced as finalists: Cindy Cesare, the county's Human Services Division manager; Brad Thiel, the county's economic assistance director; and Sivarajah, who worked in human services as a supervisor before she was elected to the board in 2002.
The panel decided to recommend Sivarajah to the full board for appointment on May 14, but she was not the unanimous choice, Commissioner Mike Gamache said Friday. He favored Cesare.
"I just can't in my honest opinion go forward to the board meeting to say Rhonda is the best person," said Gamache, who plans to vote against Sivarajah's bid.
Gamache, who backed launching a formal search for Soma's successor, was joined on the interview panel by Commissioners Scott Schulte and Robyn West, both of whom had wanted to appoint Sivarajah directly to the job.
Gamache said he supports Cesare because of her administrative experience and interview.
"She could step right in and do the job today," he said.