Reilly’s record salary on line

Adrienne Packer

Tuesday, July 3, 2001 | 10:47 a.m.

County Commission task force members were expected to recommend today that incoming Clark County Manager Thom Reilly earn $193,000 a year, a salary that was agreed upon during a meeting last month.

The record salary is necessary to secure an "aggressive" leader, the commissioners said.

The task force, composed of three county commissioners, also is recommending the salary range for the county manager position be bumped up to between $181,000 and $276,000, according to the minutes of the June 25 meeting.

Reilly, 40, was hired by commissioners June 19, less than two weeks after County Manager Dale Askew was pressured to resign.

Reilly, the county's former administrative services director, was handpicked by Commissioners Dario Herrera, Erin Kenny, Mary Kincaid-Chauncey and Myrna Williams.

Commissioners Yvonne Atkinson Gates, Bruce Woodbury and Chip Maxfield, who pushed for a more extensive search for Askew's replacement, complained they were left out of the process.

During their meeting last month, commissioners postponed discussion about Reilly's salary and assembled a task force to consider the salaries of managers for counties of comparable size. Kenny, Kincaid-Chauncey and Maxfield made up the committee.

During the task force's hourlong meeting, which the county opened to the public but did not publicize to the media, Kenny said a higher salary was needed to secure a leader who would stay a long time, according to the minutes.

Task force members also discussed why leaders of other agencies make more than the county manager despite the fact "the county has a bigger population, a larger workforce and a wider breadth of responsibilities compared to other entities," the minutes say.

Reilly's proposed salary is about $30,000 more than was earned by Askew, who was with the county for 18 years and was county manager for four years.

In arriving at the higher figure, the committee also cited Reilly's experience. Reilly has been a top administrator for state and county agencies and holds a doctorate in public administration.

Maxfield noted that the proposed salary is comparable to executives of private companies, but also expressed concern the figure might be too high a starting point for Reilly.

His concerns were shared by at least two other commissioners. Both Herrera and Atkinson Gates said $193,000 a year is too much to offer. Each said a compromise will likely be struck during today's meeting.