Barbara Blumenfield Advertisement

Barbara Blumenfield, currently a consultant from Muskego, Wis., and a former city administrator in suburban Milwaukee, may become Nye County's first female county manager.

Blumenfield was offered the job over the other finalist for the position, Lionel J. Bushey II, presently a city manager in Eagle River, Wis., after interviews by the Nye County Commission Monday.

Her hiring is still dependent on negotiating a contract with Nye County, which has yet to be drafted. The motion to hire Blumenfield was made by Commissioner Joni Eastley and quickly seconded by Commissioner Patricia Cox. It passed unanimously.

Blumenfield has been employed by Public Management Partners LLP in Wisconsin since September 2005, a firm that offers consulting work in human resources, labor relations and other administrative issues. Before that, she worked for a year as the city administrator of Oak Creek, Wis., a Milwaukee suburb with a population of 30,556. Prior to that, she spent 16 months assisting the manager of the village of Menomonee Falls, Wis., population 33,309, also a Milwaukee suburb.

She spent five years as the director of human resources in suburban Greenfield, Wis., from 1998 to 2003 and before that, four years as the city administrator of Caledonia, Wis., beginning in January 1994.

Blumenfield was an executive and legislative liaison to the Racine County, Wis., county executive for 16 months from 1992-1993. She is the regional vice-president of the International City and County Managers Association.

Her cover letter says she completed her doctoral dissertation in urban studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and holds a master's degree in urban planning.

"This is going to be a real challenge, and I think of that in the full definition of the word," Blumenfield told commissioners, explaining her reasons for wanting to move to Nye County.

Blumenfield said she brushed up on local issues, reading the Pahrump Valley Times online. She also spoke about the county's growing pains.

Blumenfield was also aware of the politically-keen residents of Nye County. "People being involved in this day and age is a good thing," she said.

But her short tenure in Oak Creek and Menomonee Falls, her two most recent city management positions, were questioned. Blumenfield attributed some of that to politics, a situation with which commissioners seemed to sympathize.

When it came to her position as human resources director in Greenfield, Blumenfield said, "At the end of that year there were some problems going on. Councilmen wanted to get back at the mayor." Blumenfield said she was perceived as being allied with the mayor.

The position in Menomonee Falls was supposed to last only for one year, after the longtime village manager retired after 40 years. She ended up staying 18 months.

Blumenfield said she thought she might serve out the rest of her career when she went to work in Oak Creek, but again, politics intervened.

"The mayor wasn't going to make my job easier," she said, without getting into details.

Her predecessors as Nye County manager didn't last many years either.

If hired, Blumenfield would replace Mike Maher, who was terminated in March after serving as county manager since July 2003. Maher, who had been promoted from assistant county manager, replaced Dave Chavez, who was terminated without cause in June 2003 after serving as county manager only 16 months. Chavez replaced Jerry McKnight, who was terminated with cause in July 2001 after three years in the job.

Ron Williams has been interim county manager in the wake of Maher's termination; he was also promoted from planning director to assistant county manager.

Some of the questions Blumenfield was asked Monday gave an insight into the issues important to the various commissioners.

District 2 Commissioner Joni Eastley asked questions about public land issues, water and expressed thoughts about commuting to the county seat in Tonopah. Blumenfield said Wisconsin residents near Lake Michigan live in a different basin and have greater access to water. She said it's hard to give representation to communities separated by so much public land in Nye County.

District 1 Commissioner Roberta "Midge" Carver corrected Blumenfield, in pointing out the federal government doesn't own 98 percent of the land in the county.

"We believe they are managers, not necessarily good ones," Carver said.

"We, as citizens of the United States, are all owners of that property," Blumenfield said.

Eastley asked both finalists if they were prepared to be on the road three days per week. Blumenfield admitted it's unusual to have a county with two county seats. (Nye County has one county seat but two courthouses.)

District 5 Commissioner Patricia Cox told Blumenfield she'll have five bosses, meaning the county commissioners, 13 elected officials and 30 departments to manage. Blumenfield suggested some strategic planning, which she said would be an opportunity for those elected officials and department heads to voice their opinions on what's important for the county.

But Blumenfield said she wouldn't make drastic changes upon taking office. "I'm not the type of person that's a bull in a china shop," she said. "I'd like to do it at a pace the community is comfortable with."

Eastley asked what items should be handled by the county manager and not commissioners.

"Anything that deals with personnel, you should not be dealing with, period," Blumenfield replied.

Blumenfield boasted that while director of human resources in Greenfield, Wis., she was able to handle 15 labor contracts without once going to arbitration, thus saving the city a lot of money.

There were two questions employers often ask at interviews. "Where are your strengths?" was the easy one.

"I think my strengths are being able to communicate effectively with individuals and not making up my mind until I get all the information," she said.

Then the tough one: What was your biggest error in judgment? The answer? Going to Oak Creek, she said. But Blumenfield added, "I was able to smooth the waters for my successor."

District 4 Commissioner Candice Trummell asked Blumenfield if she was worried about having two new commissioners seated next January. Cox and Trummell have decided not to seek second terms when their terms expire this year.

"I'm not concerned about new members coming on board unless the new members have hidden agendas," she said.

Blumenfield said the Wisconsin League of Municipal Officials has a course for first-time county commissioners. When new commissioners take their seat for the first time, Blumenfield said, "You've never done it before. There's a learning curve, and it's a long time before you're qualified to say or do anything."

Eastley said commissioners shouldn't think they have more weight than their 20 percent vote on the board. She asked if Blumenfield would advise commissioners if they're micromanaging a department.

"If you hire me, you understand I'm a professional and you're willing to listen to me," Blumenfield replied. She urged commissioners to put egos and politics aside.

"In my profession we don't always provide answers people like," Blumenfield said. "I will always make a recommendation that's in the best interest of the county, not the best interest of an individual."