Brown County Commissioners approved the hiring of a new elections administrator pending negotiation of salary by County Judge Ray West at Tuesday’s meeting of the court.
According to West, the Brown County Elections Committee met Friday, February 5th and held interviews of 5 candidates for the position during closed session. As the committee opened the meeting back into open session, they agreed to hire Karen Opiela of Karnes City, Texas, who is the current elections administrator of Karnes County.
“The committee was very impressed with her,” said West. He explained that Opiela had requested a salary of $45,000 per year, which is higher than what is currently budgeted or paid for the position of elections administrator. West stated that he felt he could negotiate a salary less than $45,000, stating that an offer had been made to Opiela, which she was considering.
“I would ask the court to give me the authority to go up to her requested salary,” requested West. “I think, I am almost sure, that I can get her well below that, for example $43,500, but I would ask authority to go up to and not exceed $45,000. That is asking this court to trust my negotiating skills and to get her at a smaller salary.”
Commissioners approved a motion by West to allow him to negotiate a salary not to exceed the requested salary of $45,000.
County Clerk Sharon Ferguson stated that the contract between the county and Opiela would be a 7-year term. Ferguson stated that Brown County had originally created the office of Elections Administration in 2007.
The current salary which would have been paid for this position, before the previous administrator left is $40,000 counting a raise given last year to county employees.
Larry Franks is currently serving as the interim administrator, will step back down to assistant elections administrator when Opiela assumes the position as Brown County Elections Administrator, which would be some time after the Primary Election in March. She is the only full time employee of currently of the Karnes County Elections Office, helped during elections by two part-time employees, according to Ferguson.
“This lady is already an elections administrator. She has read the whole law book, she was impressive, and she knows about our new machines because her county uses the same machines,” explained Ferguson. “She has trained other people on this same machine that the elections office is currently using, they (Hart, the manufacturer of the machine) use her as a trainer.”
Ferguson stated that she felt personally that $45,000 was too much, that hopefully the salary can be negotiated to $42,000 or $43,000.
“She would be a great fit,” said West. “Trust me I am not for $45,000 either. If we do reach an agreement, I will once again bring it to the Commissioner’s Court for approval.”
Franks was making approximately $38,000 as interim administrator. West stated that since the county had not paid a full year of salary to the elections administrator, there would be some money left to pay the difference of the new administrator’s larger salary for this year.
