Sedgwick County has narrowed down its search for a new manager to four finalists.
Tim Kaufman, director of the Division of Health and Human Services for Sedgwick County; Michael Scholes, a former chief of staff for the Kosovo Forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Pristina, Kosovo; Tom Stolz, director of the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department for Sedgwick County; and Ryan Waller, assistant county administrator of Lake County, Illinois, are all in the running to replace former county manager Bill Buchanan.
Buchanan announced his retirement last year and stepped down in June after 24 years as the county’s top manager. Ron Holt has been acting county manager since then.
Recruitment efforts to find Buchanan’s replacement began in February, bringing in a total of 85 applicants.
Each of the four finalists will be interviewed by external and internal panels on either Aug. 17 or 18 and meet with county commissioners one-on-one in the following days, the county said in an email sent Tuesday.
Commissioners will hold an executive session on Aug. 18 or 19 to determine the next steps in the hiring process.
