Sonoma County poised to name a new county administrator in December

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is nearing a decision on who it will tap to replace retiring County Administrator Sheryl Bratton.

The appointed post is the top executive position in county government and is responsible for carrying out the board’s priorities and working with county departments that employ more 4,000 people.

The board, which is handling the interviews and search process, is on track to select a new county administrator by mid-December.

The county received roughly 36 applications for the position by the time the application period closed in October, said Supervisor Chris Coursey, board vice chair.

“We interviewed a portion of those,” Coursey said. “Moved some forward.”

He declined to specify how many candidates had been advanced, noting the search process was still active.

The board is handling the interviews and will make the final decision but, staff from the county’s human resources and legal departments have been sitting in on the interviews, Coursey said.

“This is a decision for the five us,” Coursey said, referring to the five-member board.

He added that he is feeling good about the board’s chances of finding a new administrator and suggested the candidates were competitive.

“It’s good that we will have difficulty deciding among a number of people who want this job,” Coursey said.

The county hired Bob Murray and Associates, an executive recruitment firm based in Roseville, to help search for applicants and is paying the firm $23,000 plus reimbursable expenses, as previously reported.

Bratton, 59, is retiring at the start of 2023 after more than six years as county administrator and 30 years working for the county. She announced her plans to retire in July.

Her time in the position featured successive disasters and emergencies, including devastating wildfires, historic flooding and the coronavirus pandemic.

The salary range for the position is $275,880 to $333,792, including cash allowance, plus county-paid health and retirement benefits.

Bratton’s successor will take over ongoing recovery work connected to the pandemic and fires, as well as high profile projects including replacement of the county’s aging administrative complex. The county’s budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year is roughly $2.14 billion.

The new administrator also will have to implement county policy on an array of intertwined issues touching on socioeconomic equity, homelessness and public health.

Coursey has called the job a difficult one and compared the right candidate to a “unicorn,” noting the depth of responsibility and range of skills required, from financial acumen to political instincts.

You can reach Staff Writer Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or emma.murphy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MurphReports.