Finalists named for Flathead County administrator job

Four people vying to become Flathead County's next chief executive will have job interviews with the county commissioners in a public meeting Tuesday afternoon.

Daniel Sabolsky, Elishia Hayes, Pat Oman and Pete Melnick were identified as top candidates in a nationwide search to replace County Administrator Mike Pence, who is scheduled to retire on May 31 after 16 years on the job.

The county in early January hired a California-based recruiting firm, CPS HR Consulting, to recruit Pence's successor and selected the four finalists from dozens of applications. Pence originally planned to retire at the end of March but agreed to stay two more months while the hiring process is underway.

A brochure for the job describes the county administrator as "the lynchpin between the commissioners and 20 departments representing both elected and appointed offices" who "provides overall leadership, direction, coordination and support of the activities of the county’s workforce." The new administrator's salary will be negotiable up to $128,000.

Sabolsky has been the town manager of West Yellowstone since January 2016. He previously worked in economic development, consulting and marketing in Ohio.

Hayes has spent nearly a decade working for Humboldt County, California, including the past year as assistant county administrative officer. She previously spent six years as an account manager with a company that services mortgage loans.

Oman spent just over five years as the administrator of Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, before abruptly resigning on Jan. 31, according to news reports. He previously worked for economic development agencies in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Melnick has served in the Coast Guard since 2007, currently helping lead the Department of Homeland Security's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, he wrote in an application letter to the county. He previously held Coast Guard jobs in finance, operations and human resources.

The interviews are scheduled to run back to back from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday in room 302 of the county courthouse, 800 S. Main St. in Kalispell.

This story has been updated to include information provided by Flathead County's human resources department.

Reporter Chad Sokol can be reached at 758-4434 or csokol@dailyinterlake.com