Former Harford County Sheriff Jesse Bane officially became the Town of Bel Air's administrator on Tuesday night when the Board of Town Commissioners approved his appointment.
Bane, 66, will lead the town's government for a six-month trial period by mutual agreement with the commissioners, after which his employment will become permanent, if both sides agree. His contract calls for an annual salary of $107,867, plus expenses, use of a town vehicle and a cell phone.
"We look forward to working together," Town Commissioner Patrick Richards told Bane.
Commissioner Susan Burdette said she is "appreciative of Jesse for his work with the community. I think the Town of Bel Air is going to be very lucky."
Commissioner Edward Hopkins, who was Bane's chief deputy in the Sheriff's Office and is now the county's director of emergency services, also hailed the decision to hire Bane, calling it "an exciting move for us."
About 20 family members and friends were in the town commissioners' meeting room and applauded when the five commissioners unanimously approved Bane's appointment.
Bane thanked the commissioners and, echoing Richards' comment, said he looks forward to working with them.
Bane replaces James Fielder Jr., whose last day with the town was Tuesday. Fielder, 65, who was hired in January 2014, stepped down to become the patronage chief for incoming governor Larry Hogan, who will take office Wednesday.
For Bane, the move from the sheriff's headquarters on Main Street to Town Hall on Hickory Avenue is about a block and a half, but there are some big differences in the two jobs.
With the Sheriff's Office, which he ran for eight years until he lost his bid for a third term in the November general election, Bane oversaw a paramilitary organization with an annual budget of $69 million and more than 500 employees.
Bel Air, by contrast, has an annual operating budget of $15.9 million and about 100 employees, including the town's police department which is being run on an interim basis by another one of Bane's former top deputies in the Sheriff's Office, Maj. Jack Meckley.
Bane attended a commissioners and staff work session held a week earlier, making clear his presence was as an observer. He said afterward he was ready to come on board.
Mayor Robert Reier presented Fielder with a proclamation from the commissioners expressing their gratitude for his service.
Reier praised the outgoing administrator for always displaying a positive attitude and for participating in many town events and activities, telling Fielder, "You truly are a man of many talents."
In return, Fielder thanked the commissioners and particularly the town staff, saying: "It is indeed rare in public service to find a staff like this that is dedicated to the citizens."
He praised the commissioners and staff for having a fiscally sound town and noted that while problems will certainly arise in the future, "with this team you will be able to tackle them."
He closed by telling them his year with the town resulted in "the creation of many cherished memories."
Each of the commissioners took turns thanking Fielder, several mentioning his hard work and problem solving abilities.
He had to handle a number of touchy issues in his 12 months, including successfully resolving a building moratorium brought on by concerns about the town's drinking water reserves and concluding several months of negotiations with the private John Carroll School to relocate a town sewer main under the school's athletic fields before John Carroll began installing artificial turf on the fields.
He promoted Stephen Kline to public works director when the former director retired at mid-year and later borrowed Meckley from Bane, who was still sheriff at the time, to run the police department in the absence of Chief Leo Matrangola, who went on an extended medical leave last fall.
Burdette said she will think of Fielder as "a shooting star who landed in Town Hall for a year" and formed "a beautiful partnership" with the commissioners and staff.
"I'm sure he'll leave a little bit of that sparkle behind for all of us," she said.