Candidates interview for county administrator's job

By Nathan Mayberg
NEWTON — The Sussex County Board of Freeholders interviewed four internal candidates last week for the county administrator's position, which will become vacant on July 1 following the announced retirement of current administrator John Eskilson.

Eskilson will be retiring at the same time as county counsel Dennis McConnell and treasurer Bernard Re.

Sussex County Freeholder George Graham said all four candidates work at the management level for the county.

There were no decisions made, Graham said.

"There was no direction as to where we are going," he said.

Graham and Freeholder Gail Pheobus said they were impressed with all the candidates.

Graham said hiring somebody internally could be helpful with the number of retirements pending this summer.

"It's a very difficult situation," Graham said. "Everybody quit at the same time."

Graham said the county's administrator, attorney and treasurer were "engaged in everything" and their knowledge on the issues, particularly the complicated solar panel deals, may require the hiring of somebody who has a grasp of what is going on.

"The county is going through such major changes," Pheobus said.

Phoebus said the interviews with the candidates was "very enlightening."

All four were very passionate, she said.

Pheobus doesn't expect a decision on the candidates to happen at this week's meeting of the freeholders, but said the board will have to make a decision whether to hire an internal candidate or hold a wider search later due to the short transition period.

County officials are not divulging who applied for the jobs since they all currently have other jobs with the county.

Meanwhile, $6.7 million in bonds have been issued for finishing the solar panel projects in Sussex County the county is on the hook for. Those projects include solar panels at schools in Sparta, Hardyston and Kittatinny Regional High School. Vanguard Energy Partners is expected to complete the project.

The bonds were approved in February by the freeholders as part of a settlement involving three counties and litigation brought by Power Partners Mastec, the original contractor on the project, against SunLight General Capital. Sussex County was not actually sued by Power Partners though it became a party to the settlement.

The county is banking on revenue from those solar panels, the tax energy certificates associated with them and federal funds to help alleviate part of its estimated $27 million debt on bonds it guaranteed for SunLight General Capital.

"This was never about solar," Graham said. "This was about money."