Thursday, 28 March 2024

Cox agrees to stay on as interim county administrative officer while recruitment continues

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County’s longtime county administrative officer has agreed to stay on in an interim capacity after his retirement becomes official next week.

Kelly Cox, who has been with the county for 32 years, is officially retiring at the end of business on Friday, March 16. He made those plans public early in January.

However, on Tuesday in a discussion with the Board of Supervisors Cox agreed to stay on while the county continues the recruitment for his successor.

Cox told Lake County News on Wednesday that he was honored that the board asked him to help out, but he said he wouldn’t agree to delay his official retirement date.

Cox, who is credited with helping keep the county on a strong budgetary footing over the past three decades, is continuing to keep the county’s finances in mind as part of the arrangement.

Budget records show Cox was paid just over $143,000 in 2010. However, he’s agreed to carry on doing the job after March 16 as a volunteer.

In other words, he’ll do the work for free.

“I'm happy to be able to help out for awhile, on a volunteer basis,” Cox said.

“At this point we don't know if it will be for just a few days, a few weeks or for a longer period,” he said.

The Board of Supervisors hasn’t started interviewing candidates yet – around 50 people reportedly applied – but Cox said interviews are scheduled to start in a few weeks.

Cox said he hopes the board will be able to appoint a new county administrative officer from the current applicant pool.

“I'm happy to stay for whatever period of time is needed,” he said.

He said he’s also glad for the opportunity to stay on a little longer because he and his staff are in the middle of some “very crucial projects” that he can’t complete by his March 16 retirement date.

Cox said not being on the payroll may give him one benefit – he’s hoping to come in a little later on weekday mornings, rather than starting his day as early as he has all these years.

“That's something I've wanted to be able to do for over 32 years!” he said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com , on Google+, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

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