Incoming County Administrator Addresses Selection Process and Departure From Previous Municipal Manager’s Job

In the wake of his selection by a familiar 4-1 majority of the Warren County Board of Supervisors, Cullers dissenting, we asked incoming County Administrator Brad Gotshall about the process of his submission as a finalist in the county administrator selection process here, as well as his somewhat controversial departure from his previous position as Lower Paxton Township, Pennsylvania municipal manager.

“Relative to the search, I had indeed applied through Colin Baenzinger & Associates,” Gotshall said of the County-contracted executive search firm, adding, “I am not aware of whether the WC BOS members themselves added me to the finalist list or the recruitment firm. – I was merely informed when I had become a semifinalist and then a finalist. However, I had actively applied for the position, not in response to an approach from Warren County, but on my own accord.”

Of his job-nailing interview and immediate professional future, Gotshall said, “I was impressed by the professionalism and expertise exhibited by staff and the Board of Supervisors during my interview process. I very much look forward to joining the Warren County team on September 11, where I’m excited to begin digging in and meeting as many folks as possible.”

Brad Gotshall is looking forward to his move to County Administrator here after political maneuvering led to the dissolution of his previous Township Manager’s job in Pennsylvania. But will he find more of the same here? Stay tuned. – Courtesy Photo Brad Gotshall

As to his departure this summer from his Pennsylvania Township Manager’s position, which, as previously reported  (LINK> “County Supervisors Name New County Administrator; Reappropriate Library Funding & Hear from Public on Latter”) came under the shadow of a publicly circulated “Vote of No Confidence”, Gotshall told us this:

“The decision to leave Lower Paxton Township was entirely mine and not necessarily spurred on by any one factor or person, particularly. However, a recently departed supervisor, who resigned their position, much like several other organizations they once belonged to, quickly changed political party — we have partisan elections in Pennsylvania — and is now on the November ballot for a seat they held less than a year ago.

“This ex-Supervisor and a vocal minority, a great majority of whom I never had even one interaction with, of political and community activists orchestrated this sustained political pressure campaign against me and targeted supervisors. I resigned on my own accord because this orchestrated political drama was becoming a distraction from the important work the Township had been engaged in for my entire tenure.”

Noting that citizens involved in that petition against him sighted a critical appraisal by him toward those elected Township officials for their “lack of leadership,” we asked Gotshall about his relationship to the board he worked for and with in Lower Paxton Township:

“I had a good working relationship with the Board of Supervisors, our governing body, during my entire tenure of nearly 7 years there, and left under those same circumstances,” Gotshall asserted, observing that, “During my tenure, I had not one critical appraisal of my performance by my employer, the Board, and was unanimously reappointed to my position each year. As has been stated publicly, the manager serves completely at-will and at the pleasure of the Board, and I could have been relieved of my duties at any second; instead, I remained unfettered for nearly 7 years until this orchestrated political effort cropped up.”

Of his background in municipal business in Pennsylvania, Gotshall observed that early in his career, he had once served on a public library board of trustees. Informed that there was controversy about public library services here, he said, “I understand very well the importance of libraries and the need to maintain a strong resource for the community. I look forward to digging more into this issue and listening intently to all sides of the debate.”

So, has Brad Gotshall left the “Frying Pan” of Lower Paxton Township political maneuvering only to step into Warren County’s political “Firestorm” surrounding its historic, multi-award-winning, and reigning Virginia Library of the year 2024, according to the Virginia Library Association?

Stay tuned, we’ll seek an assessment from incoming Warren County Administrator Brad Gotshall when the “smoke” generated by the Samuels Public Library fiery defunding controversy clears a bit, at least enough to see the person talking to you about that “smoke” — and the fire that generated it.