Eli Ruiz | Democrat Josh Potosek talks after being named the new county manager at a press conference on Friday.

Potosek named new county manager

Story by Eli Ruiz
MONTICELLO — November 26, 2013 — Early this year Sullivan Legislators Cora Edwards and Gene Benson began a push to remove then County Manager David Fanslau. Though initially a divisive move, the board of county legislators would eventually approve the measure, and in early March Fanslau was gone.
With no ready replacement for Fanslau, legislators turned to then County Budget Commissioner and Deputy County Manager Josh Potosek to temporarily fill the void.
On Friday, and after a nearly nine month search process, that same body of legislators thought enough of Potosek’s tenure as acting county manager to unanimously vote him to the post on a permanent basis.
“In the early part of this year this legislature made the decision to hire a new county manager,” said Legislative Chair Scott Samuelson, who noted the early search process, then the board’s later decision to sent out a request for proposal (RFP) for an outside firm to conduct the job search.
“It became evident [during discussions] that Josh Potosek had been doing an exemplary job as acting county manager and we’ve continued to explore that conversation,” Samuelson said. “Ultimately it was determined, and I am happy to tell you that in a unanimous decision by this board, that we would offer the position of county manager to Josh and abandon the search. We are very pleased that he accepted.”
Added Samuelson, “Over the last several months, Josh Potosek has exceeded any of our expectations, which is significant as we already had great respect for his potential. We have heard on a daily basis from staff how pleased they were in working with him… that he is accessible, patient, thoughtful, a strong leader, and has great integrity. Our experience as a board has been the same. He has been informative, responsive and clear when relating to each of us. Through this period he has not only been able to accomplish all of this, but he delivered a tentative budget that is exceptional.”
Potosek, 36, of Livingston Manor and a married father of two, currently earns a salary of $144,837, and related that he fully expects the county to renew his contract and set a new salary at the regular December 19 meeting of the legislature.
“I am honored and privileged to have been chosen as the next county manager for Sullivan County,” offered Potosek. “The future for Sullivan County should be an exciting time, but it’s not without challenges. I look forward to working on various challenges based in the county, and to continue to explore ways to improve county government operations. I also look forward to assisting the economic advancement of the county. With the prospect of Class III gaming coming to the county, and with other projects such as the Apollo, Kutsher’s redevelopment and more… moving forward it’s truly a promising time for Sullivan County.”
As for the prospect of working with Potosek on a permanent basis, Samuelson says, “I think it’s going to be very exciting. He’s been a great partner to work with over the past several months. He’s done incredible work. The budget he put out, we felt, was amazing… I think he’s going to do a great job for all of us. He’s all of the good things we were hoping for.”
As for legislator Alan Sorensen, the Republican minority leader, he’s equally on-board: “I think Josh has certainly proved himself,” he said. “He’s just very approachable, and I have a lot of confidence in his abilities to be our county manager.”
“It’s an exciting time for Sullivan County with some of the things going on beyond just running county operations,” said Potosek. “It’s going to be quite the challenge, but I’m looking forward to it.”