MARK WAITE / PVT Richard L. Osborne Sr. Advertisement

Richard L. Osborne Sr., director of administration for Tallmadge, Ohio, was chosen as the primary candidate for the county manager position by Nye County commissioners Wednesday.

Assistant County Manager Pam Webster said preliminary top-level background checks have been conducted on the candidates, but the Nye County Sheriff's Office was directed to perform another one. His hiring will also be subject to contract negotiations.

Osborne was chosen from among 28 candidates for the job. He was chosen to replace Ron Williams, who was appointed interim county manager to replace Mike Maher in March 2006 and promoted to permanent county manager in December 2006.

Three other finalists were called in for interviews: James T. Braswell, operational services director of Douglas County; Marie A. Gelles, a contractor for Texas First and former city administrator of Helotes, Texas; and Ronald Stock, city administrator of Lamar, Colo.

Commissioner Peter Liakopoulos made the motion to hire Osborne.

When asked later why he endorsed Osborne, Liakopoulos said, "He stated that he was pro business. I think he demonstrated also that he has the intelligence to get caught up on wilderness, because the wilderness issue, I don't think, if you're not from the West, you're not going to pick up on."

Liakopoulos questioned each applicant about what they would do to bring business into the county.

"I have 36 years of public service in varying degrees," Osborne said. "I also managed, owned and operated several businesses on the side, so I have a perspective of the small businessman that you won't find too often in a public servant."

Osborne ran rental properties, operated a beer and wine store and drew a few chuckles when he remarked about owning a doughnut shop while he was a policeman.

He began work for the city of Tallmadge in December 1970 as a patrol officer. He was promoted to sergeant, criminal investigations, uniform division commander, operation's commander, then in August 1996 began work as city treasurer.

In January 2000 he was appointed director of administration, supervising 240 employees in a city of 17,500.

Osborne received his bachelor of arts in management from Malone College in Canton, Ohio, in 1993. He completed course work in business management and criminal justice from the University of Akron from 1982 to 1991.

Osborne said county administration may have to reverse the feeling among some business owners that the county is against them.

Liakopoulos also questioned the candidates about their views on wilderness issues.

Osborne said he wants to relocate to a warmer climate. But Eastley, an Ohio native herself, cautioned him he may be traveling two days per week throughout the county, to areas where there may be snow.

Commissioner Roberta "Midge" Carver asked if he knew how large and diverse Nye County is.

When Osborne said it was bigger than Rhode Island, Eastley added four other states that would fit inside Nye County.

Commissioner Butch Borasky said there's a little friction between the county and Pahrump town government. Osborne said he's a good communicator and will talk with the rank and file as well as titular heads.

"I would begin by trying to gather information, as much as I could, not only from the people who live in the city, or the proposed city of Pahrump, but also talk with a lot of the people that live here and get their spin on it. Communication I think is at the root of many of the issues in America today," Osborne said.

He told Borasky he plans to spend six to 10 years working as county manager.

"I'm not ready to retire. I'm not ready at all. I'm looking for another good challenge," he said.

When it came to knowledge of Nevada water law, Osborne told Borasky the same situation exists back in Ohio.

Commissioner Gary Hollis said unlike Ohio, however, Nye County has to deal with federal agencies like the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service, with 98 percent of the land under federal control.

Osborne said Ohio also has national parks and forests. "When all is said and done, they're human beings trying to do their job to the best of their ability," he said.

Since leaving Tallmadge in October 2007, Osborne said he has been doing some consulting work for a small city in northeastern Ohio. He mentioned experience working on a training program at Kent State University for the Summit County Probation Department from 1997 to 1999.

Osborne told Eastley he visited the Nye County Nuclear Waste Repository Project Office.

"If contamination to the water supply from Yucca Mountain is an issue, then you should move the water supply," Osborne said.

Webster had questions about each candidate's management style. Osborne said, "I'm thoroughly a team player -- always have been."

But in a follow-up question, Osborne said he doesn't micromanage.

Osborne said he could travel to remote communities in Nye County. He recalled doing a lot of traveling in Ohio's 88 counties as an assessor for the Commission for Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies from 1989 to 1993.

Citing a Chinese proverb, he said, "A journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step."

Osborne told Webster he would be available to relocate to Nye County in a couple weeks. He already informed the consulting firm he works for about his job interview in Pahrump.

Osborne said, however, he applied for several jobs and was also a candidate in Gulf Shores, Ala.

But the Nye County manager job is the only position for which he is a finalist, Osborne said.