Nye County Comptroller Pam Webster was ratified as the assistant county manager by a 3-1 vote of the Nye County Commission Tuesday.

Webster, who was hired as county comptroller last July after a career working in the finance department for large corporations in California, was the choice of Nye County Manager Ron Williams. Commissioners merely ratified his appointment.

County Commissioner Peter Liakopoulos voted against the motion, Commission Chairman Gary Hollis was absent.

The selection ended a process where 40 applicants applied for the position, which was vacated when Williams was promoted from assistant county manager to county manager last November. The application deadline was Jan. 26, though Webster didn't apply for the position.

Five people screened the applicants, including Webster herself. Commissioners Butch Borasky and Liakopoulos were part of the screening committee, but both said that was a mistake.

Williams said his first choice for the position found another job in Montana.

"Pam, as everybody knows came on board in July, she was getting her arms around this position when it came open. She didn't apply for the position, I think we all know that, but looking at what Pam has done for us in the past year, how well she works with everybody, including the board, all the department heads and individuals, I think she's a good fit for the position," Williams said.

Liakopoulos said commissioners should follow the selection process through to the end.

"If we still have one candidate that's available, that candidate should be able to come up and have the county vote them up or down. If you're going to go through a selection process, I think you should follow the selection process to the end," Liakopoulos said.

Liakopoulos didn't mention who that candidate should be, though former Commissioner Cameron McRae, an applicant for the job now working as transportation director for the Nye County School District, was seated in the back row.

Williams admitted, "This was a very confusing and conflicted method of selection for this position," noting he was on the selection committee just after his promotion from assistant county manager to county manager.

County commissioners voted three times on how to go through the selection process for the assistant county manager, Williams said.

"It is at the county manager's direction to hire this person with the board's ratification," Williams said. "I don't believe it's a requirement, because you were interviewed, you're next in line if the number one person doesn't make it."

Liakopoulos said the process wasn't that confusing, noting panel members initially agreed on the top seven candidates.

"Perhaps in the future we don't need to bring in the county commission," Liakopoulos said. But he added, "The way this happened, is there any wonder people think there isn't cronyism?"

Commissioner Joni Eastley said the two commissioners wanted to be involved in the selection process. She expressed full faith in the county manager to make the decision.

"Unfortunately, I was involved in that as well and that's a mistake I don't want to make again. County commissioners shouldn't be involved in the selection committees," Borasky said.

Williams said there's a provision in the Nevada Revised Statute that allows county commissioners to delegate the authority to hire the assistant county manager to the county manager.

"As far as the statement on this being a good old boy system, Pam has only been with the county for a year, Williams replied.

Nye County will now have to hire a comptroller to replace Webster.

Asked for a comment afterwards, Webster said, "I am really excited. We have a lot of challenges ahead and a lot of projects. I've done a lot of project management and I'm looking forward to it."

Webster's selection was similar to the way the commission hired Williams as county manager, where a field of applicants evaporated and the commissioners promoted from within.

Sixty-seven applicants applied for county manager, of which 50 later submitted resumes or formal applications. Twenty-three responded to supplemental questionnaires.

Five finalists were selected, though two of those dropped out. Two were eventually called in for interviews with Nye County Commissioners last September and the job was offered to Barbara Blumenfield, a human relations consultant from Muskego, Wis. Two months later commissioners rescinded an offer to negotiate with Blumenfield after a closed door meeting with Larry Beller and Associates. Williams, who didn't apply for the job, was then promoted to county manager by a 3-1 vote during a special conference call Dec. 12.