Larry Werner at a Carson City Board of Supervisors meeting in 2013. He is under consideration by Douglas County commisssioners as interim county manager.
The Douglas County Commission is set to offer former Carson City Manager Larry Werner an interim position as it searches for a replacement for Steve Mokrohisky, who is leaving in April.
Werner, who served as the Douglas County Public Works director in 1992-93, said he would be happy to take the job.
Werner and his wife have lived in Douglas County since 1997. They returned recently from five weeks in Arizona — three in Mesa and two in Tucson.
“I enjoyed that,” he said, but he added he returned ready to do something worthwhile when the chance came up and Mokrohisky approached him about the position. The interim county manager will serve during the recruitment process for Mokrohisky’s replacement.
Werner said the Douglas board apparently was following the same process as the Carson City Board of Supervisors, preferring that the interim not be considered as a permanent replacement.
When Werner retired from the Carson City managership in December, Marena Works moved from deputy to interim manager.
Mokrohisky, whose last day in office is April 11, accepted a position as the Lane County, Ore., county administrator. Lane County is the home of Eugene and the University of Oregon. Its population is about 350,000; Douglas County’s is about 47,000.
The Douglas board discussed several options for interim management at its meeting Thursday.
Werner said the opportunity appealed to him because it is for a short period. He said he expects the deal will get finalized in early April, and that he will begin soon after.
Werner served as Carson City’s manager for five years and was instrumental in developing several regional partnerships between Douglas County and Carson City, including public and environmental health, streetlight maintenance and regional water.