Steamboat Pilot & Today

Routt County — Wanted: Communications director willing to stay longer than 10 months in the beautiful resort town of Steamboat Springs, Colo.
It wasn't written like that, but that's what the Routt County Board of Commissioners was probably wishing for as it began advertising nationally for its communications director position Monday.
"We'll get someone, one day," Commissioner Nancy Stahoviak said, half-jokingly, during a media briefing Monday.
Routt County has had four communications directors in the past five years. The latest director resigned Sep. 5, after only 10 months on the job, because of personal reasons.
The communications director oversees the emergency dispatch center that serves law enforcement, ambulance and fire services in Routt County.
The board of commissioners is serious about getting someone on-board quickly.
Ads went out Monday to Denver, Grand Junction and Steamboat newspapers, as well as EMS and law enforcement Web sites.
A timeline indicates the board of commissioners want applications reviewed by Sep. 29. It will begin interviews Oct. 9 and offer a position by Oct. 25.
The latest director to resign was Ray Deichsel, who had hired on Jan. 10. His predecessor, Dale Kuhn, also worked less than a year.
Before Kuhn it was Tom Carney, considered a "long-term employee" after serving a full two years. Before that, George Wisnovsky held the job for 10 months.
"The other people (directors) made it clear it was personal reasons," Stahoviak said. "It wasn't that they didn't like working for the county or didn't like the people in the office."
Stahoviak said it is imperative to get a new department director on board as soon as possible for the sake of emergency dispatchers.
"Being a dispatcher is one of the most stressful jobs in Routt County. For them to have this uncertainty is not easy for them and we know that," Stahoviak recently said.

To reach Frances Hohl call 871-4208