Editorial: No time for a long search

Thursday, May 18, 2006 | 7:31 a.m.

The criticism that Clark County Manager Thom Reilly is receiving over his quick appointment of a new director of the Family Services Department is unwarranted.

Reilly acted when the former director, Susan Klein-Rothschild, unexpectedly resigned May 3. Her resignation came as Reilly was leading a necessary reorganization of the department.

A state panel that reviewed 79 child deaths in Clark County since 2001 criticized the way the department conducted the investigations. Additionally, the department had come under scrutiny because of its difficulties in handling the growth-related influx of neglected and abused children into its facilities.

The department is clearly in need of reorganization and a strong department head. Reilly, who had been negotiating with nationally known child-welfare expert Thomas Morton, offered him the job the day Klein-Rothschild quit.

Donna Coleman, a former local advocate for children who now works for a national organization promoting child welfare, said the public should have been briefed about Morton before he was appointed. But the appointment won't be official until ratified, possibly next month, by the Clark County Commission. Morton's work can be easily researched, and he will be attending local meetings this month. Citizens who have issues with him will be free to address the commission.

Additionally, Glenn Campbell, whose Web site tracks local social service issues, is saying a new director should have been appointed only after a national search. But national searches take months, when a critical need for a department head arose immediately.

There are times when a county manager must avail himself of the trust placed in him and act quickly. We believe Reilly, a former social worker himself, acted in the best interest of the county when he decided quickly on a quality candidate, rather than letting a crisis simmer for who knows how long.