A dearth of qualified candidates has convinced McHenry County officials they need to search nationally for a human resources director.
The Human Resources Committee this week recommended hiring a national recruiter to find a replacement for Grant Nyhammer, who quit Sept. 8. The county had been searching regionally for a replacement.
Nyhammer held the post barely three months before quitting his $68,000 job. Nyhammer, who is also a lawyer, quit because he was not allowed to give legal advice. State law allows only the state’s attorney to give legal advice to the county.
County Administrator Al Johnson said most of those who have applied for the job are not qualified. He attributes this largely to the tight job market.
He said he expects a national search to turn up a larger pool of qualified applicants.
Johnson said the cost of the job search could reach $20,000. He expects that cost to be offset by the $5,700 a month in salary and additional benefits the county is not paying while the human resources director position is open.