Now that they have a chief of staff, the Carroll County Commissioners said they expect to have more time to focus on the issues voters said they should.
The new position is part of a reorganization designed to relieve the commissioners of some of the details of county government "so we can better serve the public," Commissioner Richard T. Yates said.
The commissioners announced Friday that Robert A. "Max" Bair, who had been their executive assistant, would become the chief of staff and have more responsibility for day-to-day operations.
Commissioner W. Benjamin Brown said, "The entire board feels very fortunate to have Max available and ready to step into this position. Max is someone who's able to take a challenge and run with it."
Commissioner Donald I. Dell said, "I think we've made the right choice and the only choice."
Department directors and office administrators now will report to Mr. Bair instead of to the commissioners. The realignment will give the commissioners more time to "look at larger issues and contemplate," Mr. Bair said.
The issues include managing growth, providing adequate facilities and services, budgeting, and managing solid waste, he said.
The commissioners hope to establish a sense of direction early in their four-year term so they will have time to accomplish their goals, Mr. Bair said.
The commissioners said they were pleased to name a chief of staff with so much experience in Carroll County government. Mr. Bair, 46, has worked for the county for 24 years.
His new responsibilities include overseeing the implementation of the board's decisions, preparing the board's agenda and helping the board reach consensus and decisions on issues.
Mr. Bair is ideal for the job, said Dick Story, a former Carroll economic development director who worked with Mr. Bair for four years.
"Max Bair is one of the most dedicated public servants I have met in my career," said Mr. Story, who now is executive director of the Howard County Economic Development Authority.
"He does whatever it takes to get the job done," Mr. Story said.
Mr. Bair began his career with Carroll County as an assistant in the planning department. He then was the grants coordinator and an economic development assistant.
In late 1983, he was named to replace George A. Grier as the commissioners' executive assistant. Mr. Grier had held the job for 25 years.
Mr. Bair is paid $70,317 and will not receive a raise with the new title.
The current board of commissioners is the fourth Mr. Bair has worked for as a top aide.
He has the right personality for the job, Mr. Story said.
"He just is an unselfish, totally no-ego type of person who is looking out for the good of the county," Mr. Story said. "As he works with various boards of commissioners, he can be as visible or invisible as he needs to be to support their agenda.
"Each board is different and has a different approach. Max has been able to rise or shrink into the role they've assigned him," Mr. Story said.
The current board of commissioners, in office only three weeks, has made it clear it will have a different style from the previous board. The new commissioners want to be more efficient and more decisive, Mr. Brown has said.
Mr. Dell is the only incumbent on the current board. As president of the previous board, he brought a "hands-on" approach to the job and was criticized for micro-managing county government.
Friday, Mr. Dell said creating a chief of staff position was a good idea.
Mr. Dell said he has reservations about other changes. For example, the commissioners plan to meet once a month with each department director, instead of once a week. Monthly meetings won't be often enough to handle the workload, he predicted.
The commissioners will meet weekly with "the Cabinet," though meeting as a group is not ideal for all topics, Mr. Dell said.
Last week, for example, about 14 people attended the two-hour Cabinet meeting, but six or eight department chiefs had nothing report, he said.
"We're burning up some high-cost time," Mr. Dell said.
Mr. Bair said he plans to meet with department heads Wednesday to talk about how the new system will work.
"It will be based on teamwork, sharing, cooperation," he said.
"You have three very interested county commissioners," Mr. Bair said. "They're all taking a very active role in that position. Each will want to know things, maybe through different channels.
"We're going to try to tailor this entire program to meet the needs of the commissioners," he said.
The commissioners made other changes as a result of naming Mr. Bair as chief of staff. They disbanded the Department of Administrative Services, which was created during a 1991 reorganization and was directed by Mr. Bair.
The department included two supervisors: Micki Smith, department deputy director and public information officer; and James E. Slater Jr., administrator of the Office of Environmental Services.
Ms. Smith now has only the title of public information officer, and Mr. Slater will report to Department of General Services Director J. Michael Evans.