Less than a year after becoming Bel Air's town administrator, Jim Fielder is leaving the post to become Gov.-elect Larry Hogan's appointments secretary, Hogan's office announced Wednesday.
Fielder was hired as the town administrator in January to replace Chris Schlehr, who retired Dec. 31, 2013 after 21 years with the town.
Fielder and Hogan were both cabinet secretaries under former Gov. Robert Ehrlich; Hogan was the appointments secretary; Fielder was secretary of labor, licensing and regulation.
"This is an excellent opportunity to really effect change for the whole state in support of the governor," Fielder said Thursday.
In his new, cabinet level state position, Fielder will review, on Hogan's behalf, appointments to hundreds of state boards, commissions and other patronage positions that are under the governor's control.
Fielder's departure once Hogan takes office on Jan. 21 means the Town of Bel Air must find another town administrator, a process the commissioners just went through a year ago.
The board will meet collectively in the next few weeks to determine "where we go from here as we move forward," Mayor and board chairman Rob Reier said Thursday.
Reier said the commissioners could name someone in the interim while they begin a search, or they could go back to the pool of candidates from its search a year ago. It's possible the town could operate without a formal administrator in the short-term, which it did between when Schlehr left and Fielder started.
"We'll determine how to best proceed," Reier added.
As for Fielder's appointment, "I think it's certainly an excellent opportunity for him," he said.
"He's done an outstanding job for the town for the past year. It will be a tremendous loss for us because he did possess experience and a set of qualities that were certainly helpful for us," Reier said.
Fielder said he is leaving the Bel Air job with mixed emotions.
"It has been an absolute excellent working with the people in Bel Air, both the community as well as the staff," he said. "We've gotten a tremendous amount accomplished and I will work with them for a very smooth transition."
In addition to serving as secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Fielder also served as the deputy secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development and has a long record of accomplishment in government, academia and the private sector, according to a news release from Hogan's office.
He has also served as vice president, director and chief development officer of business development in the IT and accounting industries and has served as vice president of finance and administration at Towson University, as well as director of budget, HR and analysis at the University of Michigan. Fielder also served as Harford County's director of economic development in the early 1990s.