By unanimous vote during closed session at its regular meeting Tuesday, November 6, 2018, the Inyo County Board of Supervisors appointed Clint G. Quilter to serve as the next Inyo County Administrative Officer. A contract outlining the terms of Quilter’s employment as CAO will be developed and brought to the Board of Supervisors for consideration at its November 13 meeting.
Quilter has been serving as Acting CAO since August 11, 2018.
His appointment is effective immediately and follows an exhaustive nationwide search began in July by a professional recruiting firm under contract with the County. The firm recently narrowed the field of applicants to six finalists from across the country. Separating Quilter from the pack were his mix of practical and executive leadership skills, knowledge of and experience with local issues, and a leadership style that emphasizes employee engagement and encourages communication.
“Before selecting the next CAO, the Board of Supervisors devoted resources to an extensive, thorough recruitment process and we took our time to ensure we had the best candidate, and the right fit, for Inyo County,” Board Chairperson Dan Totheroh said. “The recruiting firm presented us with several top-tier candidates to choose from and we believe we have selected the best person for this critical position.
“The Board of Supervisors looks forward to continuing its work with Mr. Quilter as Inyo County CAO, and is confident he will continue to bring innovative and constructive ideas and projects to the table, as well as provide for proactive, strong leadership for the benefit of County departments and employees and the public they serve.”
Quilter comes to the position with 29 years of local-government experience, including 21 years of executive level leadership.
Prior to his appointment as Acting CAO, Quilter served as Public Works Director for the past five years, leading a 58-person department with an $18 million budget and administering and coordinating the Airports, Engineering, Town Water Systems, Facility and Grounds Maintenance, Building & Safety, and Roads divisions. As Public Works Director, he also assumed ultimate responsibility for all County project management, and was a member of the Cannabis Working Group that helped to develop Inyo County’s commercial cannabis regulations.
Quilter relocated to Inyo County in 2013 from the City of Hollister, where he served nearly nine years as City Manager for the community of 38,000 people. Prior to that, he served as Hollister’s Public Works Director.
A native of Tonopah, Nev., Quilter is married and has three stepchildren with wife Sheyanne.
As CAO, Quilter will continue the duties he began as Acting CAO, including overseeing the administrative activities of the 424-employee organization; administering a $100 million budget as Budget Officer; providing professional and technical support to the five-member elected Board of Supervisors and administering and implementation of its policies and objectives; serving as Personnel Director; and advancing such initiatives as the new Consolidated Office Building and development of commercial air service at the Bishop Airport.
“I very much appreciate the Board of Supervisors’ confidence in me and am excited to continue serving the citizens of Inyo County in this new capacity,” Quilter said.
