Grand Traverse County commissioners Wednesday narrowed a field of 19 candidates for county administrator down to three they plan to invite for interviews, including Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA) Executive Director and county consultant Tom Menzel.

Menzel was the only candidate who received a nod from all seven commissioners; the other two candidates received at least four votes. Commissioners did not specifically mention candidates by name, using a numbered system to indicate their selections - however, board members repeatedly discussed personal identifying information about Menzel, including his work experience, familiarity with county business and staff, and vacation schedule.

Commissioner Dan Lathrop, backed by Commissioner Carol Crawford, suggested the board eliminate the interview process entirely and hire Menzel on the spot Wednesday night. "We've got a candidate that I think is superior to all the others," Lathrop said. "We've got a lot of stuff to do (in the county)...and we need to move fast." He added that "there's nothing in the law that requires us to go through an interview process" and said the board had "the power" to make an immediate decision.

"I agree with that," said Crawford. "I want someone ready to go. I would like to hire this particular person...I didn't see in any of the other candidates the strong ability to turn a ship like we need it to turn."

Others commissioners, however, advocated for continuing with the interview and hiring processes as planned. "I think we owe it to the county to at least conduct some other interviews and talk to the other candidates," said Commissioner Bob Johnson. "I'd hate to cut the process completely out." Commissioners Addison "Sonny" Wheelock and Alisa Kroupa also noted that their top choices were candidates other than Menzel and expressed interest in meeting with those applicants.

County HR consultant Paula Sagala is expected to reach out to the three candidates this week to schedule interviews, which commissioners requested take place before the end of the month.