Hadfield named interim manager in Lyon County

The Lyon County Commission on Thursday named Bob Hadfield, former director of the Nevada Association of Counties, as interim county manager while they begin the search for a permanent replacement.

Hadfield, 64, was head of NACO for 20 years until his retirement in 2005. He was Douglas County manager from 1977 to 1985, and returned several years later as interim county manager for nine months while Douglas officials sought a permanent replacement.

Hadfield also returned to NACO for six months last year while that organization sought a new director. He is also a member of the Minden Town Board and chairman of the Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the Virginia & Truckee Railway, two positions he said would not change while he is interim county manager.

"My whole intent is simply to assist Lyon County while they decide on how to recruit a new county manager," he said. "I would not take the job permanently."

He said his role would be to work with the county commissioners to keep programs going and goals on track while the board chooses a permanent manager.

He said he will attend a staff meeting in Yerington this morning to work out a contract which will be presented to the Board of Commissioners for approval at its March 1 meeting.

The commissioners voted 3-2 to approve Hadfield's appointment, with Commissioners Leroy Goodman and Larry McPherson opposed.

Goodman expressed concern that Hadfield, who has had a heart condition in the past, may not be up to the job, but Hadfield said his doctor had cleared him to work.

Hadfield said the challenges in Lyon County, now listed among the fastest growing county in the nation, are familiar.

"They're very similar to the challenges I faced in Douglas County when we were the fastest growing county in the United States," he said.

He holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Southern California.

• Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.