The commission's human resources and information committee approved the appointment 2-1 after discussing the matter behind closed doors for more than an hour. Commissioner Charlie Bishop cast the dissenting vote, saying he didn't necessarily oppose Brown, but objected to being left out of the selection process until Chairman Tommy Olmstead recommended Brown for the appointment. A selection committee sifted through about 70 applicants for the position before recommending two finalists to Olmstead. One of the finalists dropped out of consideration because he didn't want his name disclosed, officials said.
State law requires disclosure of the finalists for a department head's position.
Once the applicant withdrew, Olmstead nominated Brown for the job. But Bishop said he believes all five commissioners should have been more involved in the selection. I don't have anything against the man. I object to the process. That's why I voted against him.