Elko County manager chosen

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2000 | 5:02 a.m.

Robert Stokes, 44, has held his Arizona job for 13 years and said he has dealt with many public lands issues similar to the ones before Elko County.

Greenlee County, in southeastern Arizona, is 79 percent federally owned. Its biggest employer and taxpayer is the Phelps Dodge Copper mine.

Commissioners said they were impressed with Stokes' broad-based knowledge about public lands issues and dealing with federal agencies.

Stokes added that Arizona has much the same county makeup as Nevada, with 15 counties, of which two dominate the politics of the state because of their large populations.

He administers a budget of around $11 million in a county about one-tenth the size of Elko with around 10,000 people.

Stokes will begin his new post in January at the salary of $80,000 a year. He will begin by working with Boucher, who is retiring.

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