More changes in works for county officials

Adrienne Packer

Friday, July 13, 2001 | 10:36 a.m.

At least two more Clark County department heads are considering reassignment within the Government Center after a series of meetings involving incoming manager Thom Reilly and division leaders.

Human Resources Director Beverly Glode is expected to take a position with District Court's "self-help" program, and public information officer Doug Bradford is considering offers within the county, Reilly said.

The moves would come less than a month after Parks and Recreation Director Glenn Trowbridge and General Services Director Earl Hawkes took advantage of the county's voluntary separation program.

But the fact that the moves coincide with Reilly's meetings are not coincidental.

"Those departments would like new direction or different direction," Reilly said Thursday. "It's an important opportunity for growth in community and in the organization."

Glode, a former human resources and risk management administrator in Renton, Wash., was hired in 1998. She recently passed the Nevada Bar Association exam and will guide residents filing lawsuits through the legal maze.

Reilly said he will take his time in filling all but the public information officer position. The other positions and departments will be scrutinized during an efficiency study that Reilly plans to conduct after he takes office July 27.

"We'll spend time looking at whether there are opportunities to merge departments and streamline things," Reilly said.

In preparing to take over for Dale Askew, who announced his resignation last month, the 40-year-old Reilly has met with nearly every department head in the Government Center. He has joined on-duty firefighters at various stations for dinner and plans to begin having lunch with employees from each division to learn about their concerns.

But Reilly doesn't need input from employees to know what his priorities will be when he takes office -- organizing the new air quality agency and transferring child welfare responsibilities from the state to the county top his list.

He also plans to focus on the county's $2.9 billion budget.

"We'll look at ways we can do things more efficiently," Reilly said. "That's not to say it hasn't been run efficiently."

Reilly, whose expertise lies within social services, also plans to implement a handful of outreach programs. For example, he hopes to better interpret the budget process so that community members can understand exactly how much money the county has to spend.

"The budgeting process is seen as complicated, and it's incumbent upon us to be able to explain it to the community," he said.

Reilly was hired by commissioners about two weeks after Askew announced his retirement. The board agreed last month to pay the new county manager $160,000 a year.