Twenty-eight people applied for the Nye County manager job by the April 25 deadline.

The successful applicant will replace Ron Williams, who was named interim county manager in March 2006 and permanent manager in December 2006. (See related story, page 3.)

Former Pahrump Town Manager Dave Richards, who left town last February after four years, to take a position as city administrator in Hoonah, Alaska, is one of the applicants.

Another is former Nye County Commissioner Cameron McRae, who served three terms on the board from 1991 to 2003. He is now a transportation director for the Nye County School District.

James Eason, the Tonopah town manager since February 2005 and a Tonopah High School and University of Nevada, Reno graduate, threw his hat in the ring.

"I am not unhappy in Alaska," Richards said via e-mail. "In fact the community and position fit my needs very well. I'm perfectly happy here. But I have always maintained Nye County could benefit from my wide professional experience and personal management style."

"It would be a challenge to manage an organization of that size but I think the ground work has been done by the current manager, his assistant, and their staff and I'd just like an opportunity to take it to the next level," he said.

Also on the list is Ronald Trunk, former chief executive officer of Citizens for Affordable Homes.

McRae said he was up front about his intentions to apply for the county position with his boss, Nye County School Superintendent Rob Roberts.

"He wished me the best on what is in my professional career. I'm not unhappy with the school district but I think that there are some personal goals in the county manager's position and challenges it would allow me to do," McRae said.

While he personally doesn't have a need to keep his application confidential, McRae conceded some people don't have his type of openness with their employer.

Other applicants include, in alphabetical order:

* Paul Beecher, city manager of Kingman, Ariz., from January 2005 until September 2007 and city manager of Dover, N.H., from July 1992 to December 2004;

* Kurt Braneff, construction project manager for Siemens Building Technologies from August 2000 to May 2003;

* James Braswell, operational services director and airport manager for Douglas County since October 1995;

* Joseph Brown, operations manager for Allied Barton Security since May 2007 and before that, an armed chauffeur for a private family;

* Jeremy Bunker, a Tonopah High School graduate, who was an assistant central command station operator for U.S. Security Associates, working for the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Defense, from November 2000 to February 2008;

* Garth Day, a development services director for Cache County, Utah, since December 2007 and former community development director of Box Elder County, Utah;

* Gregory Dodder, security manager at the Railroad Pass Casino since November 2006;

* Marie A. Gelles, an independent contractor for Texas First and former city administrator of Helotes, Texas, and former management assistant to the Reno city manager from 1982 to 1985;

* Diana Hamblin, West Coast district manager of Home Buyers Warranty since May 2002;

* Daniel Healey, national director of MWH Global Inc. since December 2006 and director of public works for Fresno, Calif., from 2004 to 2006;

* James Higgins, general manager of S.R. Bray Corp. from June 2006 to January 2008;

* South African Adele Kahl, store manager and trainee for Tesco Plc. U.K. Fresh and Easy since last November;

* Ritchie (Rich) Lilly, chief for modeling, simulation and analysis for the Defense Intelligence Agency since August 2002;

* Michael Lunt, supervisor of blasting operations at the Robinson Mine in Ely for Southwest Energy since November 2004 and former manager of Duncan, Ariz., in 1999-2000;

* Julia Mockbee, a vice-president and escrow operations manager for Old Republic Title Company of Nevada from April 1994 to March 2008;

* Thomas O'Leary, a fleet manager for Kellogg Snacks from May to September 2007 and former operations manager for Liquidity Services Inc. in 2006;

* Richard Osborne Sr., director of administration for the city of Tallmadge, Ohio, from 1971 to 2007;

* Jean Ratelle, founder of a management consulting firm, formerly an interim assistant city manager of Solana Beach, Calif., former city manager of Barstow, Calif., from 1994 to 1996 and Fontana, Calif., city manager from 1970 to 1987;

* James Russum, Realtor with Liberty Realty and Elite Realty since February 2004;

* Amanda Stewart, manager of marketing and sales for Slumber Parties since November 2005 and a former retail sales assistant at the Pahrump Valley Winery in 2002-2001;

* Ronald Stock, city administrator of Lamar, Colo., since July 2007, former city manager of Leesburg, Fla., from 2001 to 2007 and county administrator of Wabasha County, Minn., from 1998 to 2001;

* James Taylor, a Fallon native who was manager of the Nome Joint Utility System in Nome, Alaska, from 1995 to 1999, public works director in Unalaska, Alaska, from 1987 to 1993, and electrical manager for the city of Sitka, Alaska, from 1979 to 1987;

* Robert Tekniepe, assistant planning manager for Clark County since August 2005, former manager for the state of Nevada field audit and investigation operations;

* Juanita Trenkle, clinic manager for Rainbow Medical Center since April 2006 and former administrator of Advanced Medical Center from 2001 to 2005;

* Ronald Trunk, chief executive officer for Citizens for Affordable Homes from June 2002 until December 2007, when the business closed;

* Ray Turchi, president of Capital Acquisitions, a real estate, acquisition and development company, since January 1992.