Choice for county building director backs out

Adrienne Packer

Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2002 | 9:54 a.m.

A Texas building official hired two weeks ago as Clark County's new building director backed out of the job this week, prompting administrators to revisit the vacant position.

County Manager Thom Reilly said Albert Godwin, who attended the Jan. 2 commission meeting during which his hiring was approved, decided to remain in Texas, citing personal reasons.

"We're disappointed obviously," Reilly said. "But if it's personal issues, we can't do much about that."

Reilly said the position left vacant last year when Robert Weber retired likely won't be refilled. Instead, Reilly plans to combine the current planning, building and public works land use divisions and hire a director to oversee all three.

"We want to make things work more efficiently," Reilly said. "Our plan is to streamline. This gives us an opportunity to be more aggressive and innovative."

Combining the departments to allow developers more convenient "one-stop shopping" was a recommendation made by the county-assembled Organizational Review and Resource Committee last summer.

Reilly said the committee's recommendation came after he began recruiting for the building director position. He said he would consider hiring internally for the new job overseeing all three divisions.