LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — As Lake County’s administrative officer prepares to step down at the end of this month, one of her staffers has been chosen to succeed her in an interim capacity.
The Board of Supervisors emerged from a closed session just after 3:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon to announce that they had voted unanimously to appoint Assistant County Administrative Officer Susan Parker as interim county administrative officer.
The appointment is effective April 30, the day after County Administrator Carol Huchingson departs.
The board held closed-door interviews for the interim position on Tuesday.
Deputy County Administrative Officer Matthew Rothstein told Lake County News that there were three candidates for the interim position. “Two were determined qualified, and one withdrew.”
Lake County News asked Parker if there was a restriction preventing her from applying for the job on a permanent basis and if she was planning to seek the job long term.
She said she was unaware of any restrictions. “And yes, I do plan to apply for the permanent position,” she said in an email response.
At its March 22 meeting, the week following Huchingson’s sudden announcement that she was leaving, the supervisors approved a plan to recruit a new county administrative officer that included an in-house interim appointment, an open recruitment to fill the job overseen by the Human Resources Department and preparation of a request for proposals for a headhunting firm, if needed.
Human Resources Director Pam Samac said the goal was to have the interim county administrative officer in place to work with Huchingson for a “thorough download” and some basic training for several weeks.
For several years, Human Resources has been overseen by the County Administrator’s Office, which has in turn raised questions about how much influence Huchingson will bring to bear on choosing her successor.
And with Parker’s appointment as the interim, and her intention to seek the job permanently, the county has not addressed how it intends to address the potential conflict of interest for her to oversee the recruitment for a position she is pursuing.
Parker joined the county as assistant county administrative officer on March 28, 2019, Rothstein said.
She has a Master’s in Public Affairs and Public Administration from the Robert M. Lafollette Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin, according to a statement from the County Administrative Office.
That same statement said she’s held previous executive jobs in the states of Wisconsin, Nevada, Colorado and North Carolina before coming to Lake County following what the county of Lake described as “a rigorous nationwide search.”
In the county’s statement, Board Chair E.J. Crandell was quoted as saying that Parker comes to the position with 20 years of experience as a high level government executive and administrator, “and she understands the unique needs and challenges facing Lake County’s communities.”
The statement attributed to Crandell continued, “During her time here, Susan has repeatedly proven herself to be an insightful leader and effective collaborator. She knows what needs to be done to continue to move Lake County forward, and we truly look forward to seeing Susan positively influence conditions for every Lake County resident with this interim appointment.”
Parker, quoted in the county’s statement, said she came to Lake County because she believed its future was bright.
“In getting to know many community leaders and making this my home,” Parker was quoted as saying. “I have grown increasingly confident we can make tremendous progress. Lake County is a very special place.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.