Commissioners hire veteran staffer as new county administrator

County commissioners selected Stow resident Michelle Crombie as the new Portage County administrator at a salary of $98,696.

Crombie is a 15-year veteran in Portage County government, where she currently is the procurement, contract and risk manager in the Internal Services department. Prior to that, she served in the county’s human resources department.

With more seniority than all but one county director, Crombie already knows the county’s senior leadership and is able to step right into her new post on June 1, Commissioner Vicki Kline said.

As county administrator, all the directors will report to Crombie, who will act as a conduit to the commissioners.

There were 11 applicants for the position, but only Crombie was interviewed. Crombie will face a performance review in a year and will receive a 5% raise “if warranted,” Kline said.

This is a breaking news brief. We’ll update the story when we learn more.