News File Photo Alpena County Clerk Bonnie Friedrichs sorts through a file with the county’s history of hiring administrators and coordinators.

ALPENA — The Alpena County Board of Commissioners should have no problem finding a qualified candidate to hire as its new county administrator.

The deadline for applicants was Friday, and consultant Frank Walsh, of Walsh Municipal Services, said he received 44 resumes from people interested in the position.

It has been many years since the county had an administrator or coordinator, but the board voted earlier this summer to move forward with putting one on payroll.

Commissioner Bob Adrian said he knew the county would draw interest from potential candidates, but the level of interest surprised him.

“It is way more than I ever expected,” Adrian said. “I think a lot of people looked at the job and see it as a great opportunity in a fantastic community that has a lot to offer.”

Walsh said there was a good mix of men and women who applied, there were local applicants and some from other areas of Michigan, as well as from out of state. He said several candidates have experience as administrators and one currently holds that title in another community.

The names and other details on the applicants were not released, but will be revealed after the applications are forwarded to the county, Walsh said.

Walsh will recommend about a handful of candidates he considers the most qualified to the commissioners, who will then hold public interviews. He said the plan is for candidates to be interviewed during the third week of August, and if the current timeline holds, the new hire should be in their office by the middle of September.

I’m pleased with the response we received, and with the quality of the applicants,” Walsh said. “Now things will begin to move right along according to our timeline.”

The pay for the new administrator will range from $85,000 to $115,000 depending on the amount of experience and other qualifications they have.