Bloglander

Spokane County Commissioner Todd Mielke has long been the subject of rumors that he was gunning for the job of Marshall Farnell, CEO of Spokane County. Each time the Inlander has asked him about the possibility, however, he has brushed off claims that he had anything planned in the works.  Instead, he said, he wanted to encourage Farnell to stay as long as possible. 

"I succeeded to extend his tenure, but I've run out of ammo," Mielke says. "I never wanted those rumors to interfere with his desire to stay here."

But in the last few months, Mielke says, people started coming forward encouraging him to seriously consider applying for Farnell's job when he retired. And now, as the county announces Farnell's will retire this year, Mielke says he's going to recuse himself from the process to find Farnell's replacement. 

Because Mielke is considering applying to replace him. 

"I want to keep my options open," Mielke says.

He says he has a number of factors to consider.

"I love what I do, I love the work I do at the county. Is this the same type of work in a different capacity?" Mielke says he's asking himself. "Where am I at this point in my life?" His mother's ailing health is also a major factor that will play in his decision, he says. 

If Mielke decides to throw his hat in for the po, it will put his fellow county commissioners in an interesting position. They'll be involved in the decision whether to hire Mielke if he applies. But Mielke doesn't want that to be the driving factor. 

"I want to go through the process," Mielke says. "I don’t want to be considered for this simply because of who I am. I want to compete, I want to know I’m the top candidate for this position."

The county will formerly adopt the replacement process next week. Mielke will have until the end of February to decide whether or not he wants to apply.