Public administrator duties to change

Adrienne Packer

Wednesday, May 22, 2002 | 9:31 a.m.

A day after a flurry of candidates filed for the public administrator's job, Clark County officials stripped the office of the public guardian role and placed it under the county manager's supervision.

Until last year, Public Administrator Jared Shafer, who is leaving office after 23 years, doubled as public guardian.

The plan to shift oversight of the public guardian to the county manager has been in progress for two years. But County Manager Thom Reilly said Tuesday the uncertainty of Shafer's replacement was a cause for concern.

"I wanted it done before the elections. I won't make any bones about that," Reilly said. "We don't know who we're going to get."

Twelve candidates filed for public administrator, a relatively obscure office in charge of handling the estates of deceased residents who have no qualified people willing or able to complete the task. The job pays $72,000 a year.

The public guardian is legally invested with the power to take care of individuals and their property. The guardian is typically called upon when a person has no living family, the family lives out of state or the person has been exploited by family or friends.

Shafer said there are about 30 staff members under the guardian and the office manages roughly $20 million at any given time. About 600 people are in the program or in the referral process.

"Today, because of the kind of work the public guardian does involving seniors, the mentally ill, the handicapped, it's critical it's under the auspices of a professional," Shafer said.

Shafer has built and designed the office since its inception in the late 1970s. Two years ago he hired a public guardian; about one year ago Kathleen Buchanan took over the position.

Buchanan will become a department head under Assistant Clark County Manager Catherine Cortez Masto. The new public administrator will oversee about six staff members.

"Not many people have a clue what the public administrator does, including most of those who are running," Shafer said. "I told (the staff) the next person won't have a clue what is going on and they'll have to guide them."

Shafer said between the Nov. 5 election and January, he intends to work closely with the victor in the race.

Reilly said not only is he unsure who will replace Shafer, but he also feared if he made the change after the new public administrator took office, it could be perceived as a political move.

"The last thing I wanted was a political battle," Reilly said.