At a special meeting Tuesday, Cass County ended its search for a new county administrator by selecting interim county administrator Jeff Carmen to fill the permanent role.

Our editorial board is glad that Cass County was able to secure a new administrator so quickly and would like to congratulate Mr. Carmen on his new position. We wish him the best of luck.

We hope that the county can keep Carmen in the role for an extended period of time so that it is able to complete projects and move the county forward.

The county has a history of short-lived administrators. The most recent administrator, Karen Folks, was in the position for little more than two years before she resigned in January. With the leadership continually changing, the county is more often in a state of damage control than a state where it can focus solely on improvements and ways to create lasting change.

As Carmen is a resident of Jefferson Township has a long history with the county — he served Cass County’s first administrator in the 1980s — we hope that he has the dedication to provide the county with a sense of stability and that he is able to work with citizens and county leaders to find ways to best serve the community and move projects forward that will benefit the county for years to come.

We are excited to see how Carmen will be able to do this.

If you have ideas about the ways Carmen and the board of commissioners can serve the community, we would encourage you to attend the board meeting on May 2 at 120 N. Broadway St., Cassopolis, where Carmen’s hiring will be officially voted on by the board of commissioners.

Opinions expressed are those of general manager Ambrosia Neldon, managing editor Sarah Culton and sports editor Scott Novak.