Three weeks into their new term, the Carroll commissioners have largely reconstructed their office, switching top assistants, hiring new aides and, most recently, bringing back a familiar figure to supervise their promised stab at slowing growth across the county.

From the receptionist's desk to the chief of staff's office, fresh faces occupy virtually every corner of the commissioners' suite on the third floor of the county office building.

The commissioners say they hope the changes will create an environment in which they can discuss important issues with department heads without the tension or wasted time that many county workers privately complained about under the last board.

"We want to improve communications within the building, minimize micromanagement and duplication of effort, and maximize our time spent talking with our staff about issues that affect the county," said Commissioner Dean L. Minnich. "I'm encouraged by the talent we're putting into place to do those things."

Where once each commissioner had a secretary, now each has an assistant who can offer advice on policy issues and stand in at public events.

Where meetings used to stop and start as commissioners waited for various department heads to appear, agendas now run through new acting chief of staff Steven D. Powell, who provides a brief introduction to each issue.

In the planning department, Steve Horn will return to his job as director, a post he left last year for a similar one in Frederick County in the midst of general staff upheaval under the former board of commissioners, made up of Julia Walsh Gouge, Robin Bartlett Frazier and Donald I. Dell.

The changes have received positive reviews from town and community leaders who work with county officials regularly.

"These commissioners are surrounding themselves with really bright people," said Hampstead Town Manager Ken Decker.

"The town may not agree with every policy decision, but it makes everybody's job easier when you have talented people in senior management," Decker said.

"County government has gotten too big and complex to be something you can just muddle through with good intentions," he said.

Wasting no time

The new board, made up of veteran Gouge and newcomers Minnich and Perry L. Jones Jr., wasted little time making staff changes after taking office Dec. 2.

The commissioners fired former executive assistant R. Patrick Hill on their first afternoon in office, saying he was not the right fit as their chief liaison to the county staff.

Over the next few days, they announced the hirings of their personal assistants. Minnich selected Dave Humbert, a retired psychologist for the county schools, and Jones picked former county spokeswoman Cindy Parr.

But Gouge made the biggest splash when she announced her new assistant would be Frank Johnson, president of Mount Airy's Town Council.

Johnson has been an outspoken advocate for bringing town and county officials together on a joint planning board, but some county political observers have wondered privately whether he can serve both the town and county governments simultaneously.

Johnson said he hasn't seen any conflict during his first two weeks and will continue doing both jobs.

"I think it's possible that in terms of a specific issue, I might not want to push it or take a lead role on either the county or town level, but I haven't seen that so far," he said.

It was quiet on the staffing front during the commissioners' second week in office, but they opened their third by announcing that Powell would be their new chief of staff.

Attention to detail

The former budget director is known around county offices for his attention to detail and his calm demeanor and quiet humor.

He will now be the main filter between department heads and the commissioners, directing meetings and helping the board understand specific issues in broader contexts.

"The county needs to speak with one voice," Powell said. "I hope to facilitate that."

The commissioners called Powell, 44, the ideal choice for the job because he has worked with all county departments during his 15 years supervising the budget process.

Minnich said he has been impressed by Powell's vast knowledge of government workings and his problem-solving skills.

"He's the person who, when you're sitting around a table discussing a problem, says, 'I think I can fix that,'" Minnich said.

Decker, who works with county staff often as a town administrator, said that of all the employees he knows, Powell would have been his first choice for chief of staff.

"He's, without a doubt, one of the sharpest people I've dealt with in county government," said Decker, who has served with Powell on the county's cable regulatory commission. "He has a clear, incisive mind and he has an excellent reputation with people around the county."

Return from Frederick

The day after the commissioners promoted Powell, they announced that Horn would be returning. Horn, 41, of Westminster, previously served as chief of the bureau of planning for three years and as planning director from 1999 to last year.

He has always said he took his job in Frederick for the challenge of learning a new county and for the higher salary. But the Carroll native left at a time when Gouge, Frazier and Dell were engaged in bitter conflicts over planning and land-use issues.

And it didn't take long after Dell and Frazier were out of office for the new commissioners to approach him about coming back.

When asked whether the timing indicates his return was motivated by the change in boards, Horn said, "I've never been all that concerned about other people's perceptions."

He did, however, say that he's optimistic about the new board and eager to help in its quest to slow growth in Carroll.

"This board has already showed a willingness to consider a lot of different options, and that's a good sign," he said. He added that his main goal will be "to close any gap that might exist between the services citizens are provided and the services citizens deserve."

Horn said his last workday in Frederick County will be Jan. 10, and he expects to report for duty in Carroll shortly thereafter.

Carroll's slow-growth advocates lauded Horn's return.

"He and I worked together at the middle-level rungs in government in the early '90s, and I really came to respect him," said former commissioner candidate Neil Ridgely, a frequent critic of Dell's and Frazier's land-use policies.

"Steve certainly did the right thing for his professional reputation by leaving Carroll when he did, and now he's doing the right thing for his county by returning," Ridgely said.