Jim Rumpeltes remembers the phone call that brought him to Clark County.
The call was from Greg Prothman, president of the Issaquah-based recruiting and consulting firm Prothman Co., who explained that his company had been tasked with finding someone as Clark County’s interim county manager.
“He looked at my background saying you are a really good fit for this role,” said Rumpeltes, who has a long résumé holding executive positions at both the county and city levels in Washington and Arizona.
“Wow,” Rumpeltes responded. “You’re right. This is a really good fit.”
On Monday, Rumpeltes had his first day on the job as interim Clark County manager, taking over for Mark McCauley, who was unexpectedly ousted from the position in May.
Rumpeltes will remain an employee of Prothman and the county will pay the company an hourly rate of $125 for his services. The contract between the county and Prothman does not have a termination date and allows the county to terminate it at any time.
Rumpeltes said he hopes to serve as interim county manager for about six months before a permanent replacement is hired. His first day on the job was also his 64th birthday. He began at 8 a.m. and had meetings with three of the council’s five members, Deputy County Manager Bob Stevens and staff in the council and budget offices. The walls of his office are bare. On a table near the door are copies of the county’s budget, annual report, comprehensive plan and financial report.
“I’ve been listening,” he said. “That’s my objective the first week is to listen.”
Under Clark County’s home rule charter, the county manager takes direction from the county council. Rumpeltes said he’s currently working with the council on a work plan that he expects to be finalized in a month.
Rumpeltes didn’t have any specific goals for the position except to have the county ready for a new permanent manager. Afterward, he said he’ll return to Surprise, Ariz., a city in Maricopa County where he owns a home.
Rumpeltes said he’s always wanted to work in public service. He left his hometown of Spokane to attend college and graduate school in Seattle and Los Angeles, respectively. He returned to take a job as budget director for Spokane County in 1978. He went on to serve as county administrator for Clallam County in 1986 before taking a job as assistant city manager for the city of Surprise, Ariz., in 2001. He retired in 2008 but still takes short-term projects.
Rumpeltes said that he had no reservations about taking the job and praised the county’s staff and its council.
“They strike me as very team-oriented and cooperative with each other,” he said of the county council.
Previously, Clark County councilors have praised Rumpeltes’ experience and personability. Rumpeltes touted his experience working under council-manager forms of government (where an elected council crafts policy and directs a manager who implements it). In the past, he’s been willing to push back against his bosses.
According to a 2007 article in the Casa Grande Dispatch, Rumpeltes accused members of the Surprise City Council of threatening to fire him if he didn’t increase their auto allowances. Rumpeltes also called the council the most dysfunctional group he had worked with in his career, according to the article.
“I’ll give my opinion and speak openly when I disagree with board members,” said Rumpeltes about the incident. “Under the right circumstances, I will challenge them.”
When told about the incident, Clark County Councilor Julie Olson said, “I think you need that.”
Stevens wrote in an email that it was a challenge filling in as county manager in addition to his usual responsibilities.
“At a minimum, we kept the train on the rails,” he wrote. “I will be happy to go back to just one job, though.”
