BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

The Los Alamos County Council agenda Tuesday’s meeting includes an item to approve the appointment of Steven Lynne as County Manager and to approve an employment agreement as negotiated. with an annual base salary of $225,593.

The agenda packet for Tuesday’s meeting indicates that following the interview process, the Council “considered the information received and initiated negotiations for employment with their preferred applicant”.

Sources tell the Los Alamos Reporter that Councilors in closed session ranked the three finalists from 1 to 3 but did not take a formal vote and that Council Chair Randall Ryti along with the Human Resources Department negotiated the contract on which Council will vote Tuesday evening.

The other two candidates for the position who made it to the final three were Erin Reinders, City Manager of Unalaska, Alaska, and Leandro Cordova who is currently the Finance Director of the New Mexico Association of Counties. If Council approves Lynne’s appointment and employment agreement, it will be effective July 14.

Lynne, a Certified Public Accountant, has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a Master’s degree in Accounting from the University of Florida-Gainsville. He joined Los Alamos County in 1996 as Budget Officer and became Chief Financial Officer in 2010. He was acting Asst. County Administrator in 2011-2012 and has served as Deputy County Manager since 2012. When former County Manager Harry Burgess retired at the end of May, Council appointed Lynne as acting County Manager.