County

From My Window… Commissioners face tough task picking new administrator

Sean McMahon, Editor
Sean McMahon, Editor
The Rio Blanco County commissioners are currently mulling over and have interviewed three candidates for county administrator to succeed Kimberly Bullen, who resigned in April.
The acclimation time will be short for the person who is charged with quickly learning all he/she needs to know about the personnel, the projects, the budgets and the rules, regulations, laws and goals that determine how to run a county in Colorado. Honestly, none of the three candidates named last week has the on-the-job training to be county administrator. But, yes, it can be learned — with an enormous learning curve.
I can’t imagine wanting to jump into a job that controls so many square miles, so many personnel, so many projects, so many rules (county, state and federal), so many regulations (county, state and federal) such a diversity of residents as well as a multi-multi-million-dollar budget without any kind of experience. But that decision isn’t up to me. It is up to the individuals seeking the position and the commissioners who are going to do the hiring.
In a Page One news story, this week’s Herald Times takes a preliminary look at how satisfied Rio Blanco County residents are with how the county is run overall. From the information in today’s paper, I would give the county probably an overall B or B-minus grade. The county is doing quite well regarding the residents’ satisfaction as a whole, but there are obviously a number of folks who are not satisfied.
Next week, the Herald Times will divulge some of the more in-depth, more to-the-point results of the survey, and the county doesn’t always fare nearly as well with a closer look.
There are, frankly, some areas in need of attention by the new administrator and the commissioners. Some areas, according to the survey, come fairly close to failing in how the public sees them and views their work.
Rio Blanco has to come into the 21st century some time in the near future and get away from the “we’ve never done it that way before; why start now?” attitude that runs rampant through this county’s government.
There are people who hurt the county. These aren’t bad people. They are people who have been in positions too long and don’t want to change with the times. There are people performing tasks that they are not trained to do with up-to-date technology. And there are people who just don’t know how to work within a group of people with the best interests of the residents of this county in mind.
And there are people who hire others because they know those people will perform what they are told to perform, further exacerbating the issue of the blind leading the blind, and imaginative innovations are crushed.
As I wrote when Bullen resigned her position and pointed out much of what I have already said, the three county commissioners may have the toughest job of all.
They will need to have the wisdom of Solomon.
They will have to hire a county administrator who can do the job in the first place, and they have to allow that person to follow their education and instinct, allowing the person they hire the time to do what it is they do best — and demonstrate the reason they were hired.
The commissioners have to back that person and hope they picked the best person available to lead them into the future.
Are any of the three finalists the right person to move Rio Blanco County into the future? Only time will tell.
But this journalist, I am sure, is joined by a vast majority of county residents in hoping that the right person is hired and in wishing whoever is chosen the very best of luck and perseverance in your upcoming job.
Rio Blanco County residents are not stupid. They are pretty well informed and, it seems, they are not indecisive at the polls. They know what they like and they know what they don’t like, and they don’t appear afraid of showing it.
The ball is in the commissioners’ court, and we must all hope and pray they dig deep and look out for the long-term best interests of Rio Blanco County.

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  • Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
  • The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
  • It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
  • It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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