Search Is On For Stearns County’s Next Top Administrator

(KNSI) – Stearns County is officially on the hunt for its next top administrator as longtime County Administrator Mike Williams prepares to close out a 40-year career in local government.

The county has hired GMP Consultants, an executive recruitment firm that specializes in public-sector leadership, to lead the search. Consultants have already met with county commissioners and department heads to shape the position profile and steer the recruitment.

The job posting is out, and the first review of applications begins June 7th. The county board will meet in a work session on June 23rd to review semifinalists, with final candidate interviews tentatively set for July 15th. GMP will handle outreach, application reviews, screening interviews, and preliminary background checks before presenting finalists to the board.

Whoever lands the job will step into one of the most influential roles in county government. The administrator oversees day-to-day operations, serves as the county’s chief budget officer, and acts as the primary advisor to the board, all while guiding services for roughly 164,000 residents across public safety, health and human services, transportation, elections, veteran services, parks, and more.

Williams announced his retirement back in March after a decade in the role. The Stearns County Board unanimously appointed him in 2016, and he brought 30 years of local government experience with him, including 13 years as St. Cloud’s city administrator and earlier stops in Brookings, South Dakota; Becker County; Perry, Iowa; and Easton, Maine.
In his retirement letter, Williams said the work has meant a great deal to him personally.

His tenure will likely be remembered most for a sweeping broadband expansion that reshaped rural connectivity across Stearns County. By combining American Rescue Plan dollars, state Border-to-Border grants, and township contributions, the county pulled together more than $60 million for the effort. Nearly every home and business in the county now has, or will soon have, access to high-speed internet.

Williams also helped guide Stearns County through the Justice Center project, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a push to strengthen intergovernmental partnerships and countywide planning. In 2021, he received the Joe Ries Excellence in County Management Award, the highest annual honor handed out by the Minnesota Association of County Administrators.

Williams will stay on through July 17th and work with the board and leadership team on the transition.

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