Back to the Starting Block

The Jefferson County Commission will have to conduct another search for a new county manager or ask its professional search firm to suggest new candidates.

The remaining candidate for the position, Patrick Thompson, withdrew his name on Friday before commissioners could vote on whether to hire him, according to the Birmingham News.

Thompson, the former administrator for Hamilton County, Ohio, had been interviewed for the $240,000-a-year job. Two other candidates also pulled out recently. All three had been recommended by the search firm.

Commission President David Carrington told the paper that Thompson may have backed out because of the uncertainty surrounding the county’s ­finances.

Jefferson County faces the prospect of cutting $80 million from its budget due to the loss of occupational and business license taxes, which was struck down by the Alabama Supreme Court recently.

The county still has $3.2 billion of outstanding auction-rate and variable-rate sewer debt on which it has defaulted.

Thompson told the paper that the County Commission did not have a clear idea of what the manager’s job entailed.

Jefferson County in 2009 was ordered by the Alabama Legislature to hire a manager to help the commission move forward with resolving its financial ­problems.

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