MID leader will be internal hire

An interim general manager will come from within the Modesto Irrigation District, board members decided Tuesday.

The temporary leader is expected to serve from 12 to 16 months, starting with outgoing general manager Allen Short's Dec. 31 retirement. The appointment would extend until after next year's election, when two or three new board members could be chosen.

Irma Perrone, the district's manager of human resources, said an internal employee could receive extra pay while filling in for Short. She suggested advertising for the position with a requirement of 10 years of management experience.

"Ten years might be a little stiff," said board member Larry Byrd. "That doesn't give us a lot to pick from. We need to broaden it."

Board members did not agree on parameters, leaving Perrone to recommend something that "would provide you a greater application pool," she said. She will suggest a job advertisement at the board's Nov. 27 meeting.

"We're embarking on a very important move," board member Paul Warda said. "I want to make sure we take the time necessary to do it right."

Short has been executive director of the San Joaquin Tributary Authority, whose members include MID, since the authority was created in May to preserve local agencies' water rights. He will continue in that capacity upon retiring from MID.

Bee staff writer Garth Stapley can be reached at gstapley@modbee.com or (209) 578-2390.