A pool of candidates for the Habersham County manager position is down to three individuals.
The Habersham County Commission convened publicly at 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, before they immediately entered executive session for personnel matters.
After almost 40 minutes, commissioners reconvened as Vice Chairman Bruce Harkness – acting as chair in absence of Chairman Jimmy Tench – announced the pool of around 60 applicants had been narrowed to three finalists.
County officials will disclose the names of the candidates via a news release on Wednesday, March 26.
While the law requires government entities to disclose the names of candidates once they’re narrowed down to three individuals, Habersham County Attorney Donnie Hunt said it also affords them three days before those records must be officially released.
Interviews of the three candidates could continue in the days ahead, according to Harkness, who said the law states commissioners cannot name a sole finalist for a period of 14 days.
“They’re all three very good candidates,” Harkness said after the meeting. “That’s the problem. It’s going to be a hard decision because we’ve got three very good candidates.”
The nearly three-month search comes after former county manager Alicia Vaughn stepped down on Dec. 27 for reasons never disclosed by officials.
Vaughn, whose salary package was at $203,278, was paid an amount totaling just over $144,000 in severance, which she negotiated after she resigned.
Vaughn had been named county manager in January of 2022.
