Spartanburg County Council could make decision on new administrator Monday

Spartanburg County Council on Thursday agreed to narrow its list of candidates from six to two in the search for a new county administrator.

County Council Chairman Jeff Horton said the two finalists are Cole Alverson, the interim deputy administrator, and John Caine, the Laurens County administrator.

Both will be interviewed Monday afternoon by County Council, when the final choice could be made, Horton said.

The next administrator will succeed interim administrator Jim Hipp, the former deputy administrator who filled in after Katherine O'Neill resigned a few months ago.

Council received more than 100 applications and narrowed the list to six. Three were interviewed Tuesday, and three on Thursday.

Horton said council voted Thursday to narrow the list to the final two candidates.

State law requires public bodies to make available the information on no fewer than three finalists for a position.

Horton did not immediately respond to a message Thursday night seeking the names of the other finalists.

Longtime S.C. Press Association attorney Jay Bender said the reason public bodies are required to disclose information on the final pool of applicants is because the public often has knowledge of these candidates, which means people in the community could comment favorably or unfavorably on one or more of the candidates for the position in question.

But without knowing who the finalists are, the public loses its ability to provide that comment.

Several years ago, the Herald-Journal sued Spartanburg School District 7 over the same issue.

The S.C. Supreme Court sided with the newspaper, saying, “The statutory language requiring disclosure of materials relating to 'not fewer than the final three applicants' requires the public body to disclose the final pool of applicants comprised of at least three people.”

"The South Carolina Supreme Court was clear in 2007," S.C. Press Association attorney Taylor Smith said in an email. "The term 'final' in (state law) refers to the last group of applicants, with at least three members, from which the employment selection is made. For purposes of the state’s Freedom of Information Act, the final list of applicants will be the six individuals they are apparently refusing to provide, which is a violation."