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Five are finalists for Pitkin County manager job

Aspen Times staff report
Aspen, CO Colorado

ASPEN – Some familiar faces are among the five finalists for the Pitkin County manager’s position.

Chosen for interviews are Phylis Mattice, currently serving as the county’s interim manager; Tom Baker, town manager in Carbondale; Scott Vargo, assistant county manager in Summit County; John Peacock, former county administrator in Mesa County; and Frank Lancaster, county manager in Larimer County.

On Tuesday, county commissioners selected the candidates to be interviewed for the post vacated by former county manager Hilary Fletcher. The finalists will be invited to the county on Nov. 18 and 19 for tours and interviews that will involve commissioners, county employees and community members.



There were 42 applicants for the post. That group was narrowed to a shorter list, from which commissioners chose the individuals they would like to interview.

Among the candidates, Mattice had served as internal services director for the county since 2007 before taking on the role of interim manager. She was also director of human resources and risk management for the county, joining the county staff in 2005 after a seven-year stint as director of human resources for La Plata County, in Durango.




Baker has been town manager in Carbondale since 2004 and was formerly town manager in Basalt, as well as the former executive director of the Aspen/Pitkin County Housing Authority and assistant city manager in Aspen.

Vargo has been the assistant county manager in Summit County (the county seat is Breckenridge) for more than six years, and was previously human resources director for the county.

Peacock served as the county administrator for Mesa County (the county seat is Grand Junction) from 2005 to 2010. He also served as the assistant county administrator for Mesa County for three years, and has been a policy and fiscal analyst in state government, as well as a management analyst for the city of Laramie, Wyo. He is an adjunct faculty member for the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado-Denver.

Lancaster has served as Larimer County manager (the county seat is Fort Collins) since 1994. He was also director of natural resources for the county, which includes Estes Park.

Pitkin County commissioners set a base salary of $135,000 for Fletcher’s successor, with the ability for the candidate to negotiate higher pay, depending on their experience.

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