Meet Orange County manager finalists

The County announced the names today in a press release:

Finalists for Orange County Manager Announced

The Orange County Board of Commissioners has announced its two finalists for the position of County Manager. The finalists are: Laura Blackmon, Deputy County Manager of Osceola County, Florida; and Tom Robinson, County Manager of Rockingham County, N.C.

The candidates will be in Orange County next week to meet with the county commissioners, county staff, and the public. A public reception will be held on Tuesday, October 3rd from 6:00 p.m. -7:00 p.m. in the Jury Room on the ground floor level in the New Courthouse in Hillsborough (reached via the parking area east of the building). The BOCC meeting will convene at 7:00 p.m. in order to allow each candidate 15 minutes to make a presentation and/or take questions between 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

The Board of Commissioners, along with The Mercer Group, Inc. consulting firm, worked closely together in the manager's search process. "We were fortunate to choose among an excellent field of candidates, many from North Carolina,” said Barry Jacobs, Chair of the Board of County Commissioners. “Orange County is a special place, and we believe we've found finalists who would fit well within our diverse and engaged community. We look forward to spending more time with the finalists, and to having them meet both the public and Orange County staff."

Advertisements for the position were placed in a variety of publications, nationally and locally. The County received 90 applications from throughout the country for the position. The Commissioners met in August to select the group of finalists and, following interviews and exercises involving four candidates, on September 22nd narrowed the field to two.