Former Harford County Sheriff Jesse Bane has been named interim town administrator for the Town of Bel Air, replacing Jim Fielder, who has been named one of Gov.-elect Larry Hogan's cabinet secretaries.
"I'm very excited about the opportunity and I'm looking forward to the challenge," Bane said Tuesday. "It is a new direction for me and I did want to go in a new direction. I think it's going to be a good marriage."
Bane, who was with the sheriff's office for 42 years, including the last eight as sheriff, lost his re-election bid in November to Sheriff Jeff Gahler.
"He [Bane] has a proven track record and is highly respected countywide. From jump street I think he will earn the respect not only internally among staff but among citizens," Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners Chairman and Mayor Rob Reier said Tuesday. "He served the county honorably for several decades and we feel fortunate that he's coming on board."
Fielder, whose last day with the town will be Jan. 20, will be Hogan's appointments secretary. He was appointed town administrator on Jan. 6, 2014, replacing Chris Schlehr, who retired at the end of 2013 after serving 21 years, first as public works director and then as town administrator for 13 years.
Fielder's cabinet appointment was announced Dec. 17 by Hogan, giving town officials a month to find a successor.
Reier said the commissioners will vote on Bane's appointment at the Dec. 20 town meeting.
Bane, a Fallston resident, will serve as interim town administrator for about six months, giving Bane and the town time to decide if it's something both want to continue.
"What we're doing here is installing the former sheriff as interim. It will allow both sides to have the opportunity for him to take on the job and see if it is something he would like to continue," Reier explained. "At the same time [it will] give the board options as well."
"It gives the viable option to lead to a permanent position," Reier added.
Bane said he and the town commissioners thought it would be good to start on an interim basis.
"I told them I did have some concerns that it may be that the job may be for me, or they may not be satisfied on my performance. At the same time we both suggested an approach on an interim basis," Bane said. "I'm anticipating I'm going to like it."
The idea came out of a brainstorming session the commissioners had at the end of December, Reier said.
"We were throwing some ideas around, his name came up and we kind of went from there," Reier said.
Town Commissioner Edward Hopkins was Bane's second-in-command at the Sheriff's Office for the last six months of Bane's term. In December, Hopkins left the Sheriff's Office and joined the county government as director of emergency services.
Another one of Bane's top deputies at the Sheriff's Office, Capt. Jack Meckley, is serving as Bel Air's interim police chief while Chief Leo Matrangola is on an extended medical leave.
Bane said he wasn't soliciting employment opportunities, but when the town approached him he said he was willing to discuss the opportunity.
Making the switch from leading law enforcement to a town government shouldn't be too difficult, Bane said.
"In some respects I'm stepping into virgin territory, but it's not a challenge that is daunting," he said. "A manager is a manager, regardless of the profession, as long as you have a good staff who know their jobs and are willing to support you."
From the dealings with town staff he's had so far, Bane said, that has been the case.
"I have to say they've been very professional, very pleasant and I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with them," he said.