TONOPAH -- The three Pahrump county commissioners want to examine all the applications for Nye County manager.

Commissioner Joni Eastley from Tonopah strongly disagreed with that decision Tuesday. She wants county staff to come up with a short list for commissioners to consider.

"Individual commissioners should not be involved in the recruiting process, nor should they be involved in the screening process, nor should individual commissioners be speaking to candidates and interviewing them outside the system," Eastley said.

Commissioner Gary Hollis agreed the commissioners shouldn't be talking to individual candidates on the side. But he said since the county manager works for the commission, he doesn't see a problem reviewing the entire list.

"We have to be reasonably sure the county manager that we hire is going to do what the county needs. We need to be the ones doing the hiring, not staff," Hollis said.

Nye County Commissioner Butch Borasky stressed experience in dealing with Nevada Revised Statutes, Yucca Mountain and water issues.

"I think we need a manager with an education but (who) also has a background in business to help develop this county," Commissioner Peter LIakopoulos said.

The Pahrump Valley Times filed a request under the Nevada Open Records Act for the applications of candidates for assistant county manager in January 2007. Commissioner Roberta "Midge" Carver was furious over a suggestion a similar request may be filed by the news media this time around.

She felt it would prevent qualified applicants from applying for the job and got so angry, she eventually turned off her microphone during a diatribe against a Pahrump Valley Times reporter.

Nye County Comptroller Pam Webster was promoted to assistant county manager last year, after 41 people applied for the job.

Commissioners also promoted in-house for the county manager.

Nye County Manager Ron Williams was the county planning director when he was named interim county manager following the departure of Mike Maher in March 2006. He later got an 18-month contract as county manager in December 2006.

Sixty-seven people applied for the county manager job back in 2006. Five finalists were presented to commissioners in June 2006; two withdrew from consideration after their names became public, including Tonopah native Clint Quilter.

Commissioners eventually interviewed two applicants in September 2006 and selected Barbara Blumenfield, but ended up terminating any negotiations with Blumenfield, a public administrator from Wisconsin, in fall 2006.

Liakopoulos didn't want to see a repeat of the county manager hiring process back in 2006, when Hollis' wife Geneva Hollis, a former county administrator, was part of the selection committee.

Commissioners Feb. 5 voted 3-2 to allow Williams' contract to expire in May. Eastley and Carver voted against the motion, saying they wanted to extend Williams' contract.