Mielke top pick for chief executive by Spokane County recruiters

The contest to replace outgoing Spokane County CEO Marshall Farnell is now a two-man race, with Spokane County Commissioner Todd Mielke the frontrunner. A seven-member selection committee returned their rankings Friday, after interviewing three candidates for Farnell’s job in a meeting closed to the public. The committee, selected by Mielke’s colleagues Al French and Shelly O’Quinn, ranked the longtime GOP commissioner ahead of Richard L. Davis, the former city manager of West Jordan, Utah. Davis resigned his post in August 2014 amid concerns he was moonlighting with an Arizona-based government consulting firm, according to reporting by The Salt Lake Tribune. A third candidate was interviewed, but was not included in the official rankings sent to French and O’Quinn on Friday, said Spokane County Human Resources Director Cathy Malzahn. “They did a scoring, but that scoring is not public record information,” she said Tuesday. French and O’Quinn will hold interviews May 13 with the two finalists to name Farnell’s replacement. Farnell has said he will remain with the county during a transition period, with plans to retire later this year. If Mielke is selected as CEO, it will fall to French and O’Quinn to name his replacement on the county commission within five days of the vacancy. If they can’t come to an agreement, Gov. Jay Inslee would pick a new commissioner, according to state law.