Update: Hubbard Named Spartanburg Administrator

Second update at 4:30 p.m. includes comment from Lexington County Council Vice-Chair Bill Banning, Sr.

Updated on Mon., 3:10 p.m.: Lexington County Administrator Katherine Hubbard has been selected to become the new administrator of Spartanburg County, and becomes the first female to ever hold that post there.

Spartanburg County Council Chairman Jeffrey Horton said the decision to hire Hubbard on Monday, which came in a 7-0 vote of Council members, was an easy one. Hubbard beat out two other challengers for the position.

Her total compensation package will be approximately $150,000 annually, Horton said. That's comparable to Hubbard's $148,257 compensation in Lexington County for the current fiscal year.

"We were looking for a good administrator, and I think we also found a great person," Horton told Patch. "I think she'll be a great fit for Spartanburg. We look forward to getting to work with Katherine just as soon as possible."

Hubbard, who was attending a strategic-planning retreat with County Council in Clemson on Monday, was not immediately available for comment.

Hubbard officially starts her Spartanburg job on Jan. 1. It remained unclear Monday when the County Council would officially start the hiring process to find a permanent replacement, and whether Deputy Administrator Joe Mergo would seek her job or fill in temporarily for her while a new administrator is found. 

Lexington County Council Vice-Chairman Bill Banning, Sr., told Patch the process to find a permanent replacement and an interim administrator likely will not begin in earnest until after the holidays. He also added he hoped to hang on to Hubbard as long as possible before her new job's start date, less than a month away.

"She'll be here until we don't need her, I can tell you that," Banning laughed. "It's a sad day to lose her, but we're happy for our friends up in Spartanburg. They'll gain from our loss, no question about that."

Added Banning: "We knew she was looking elsewhere, so this wasn't a shock. We're sad to lose her, but sometimes people just need to move on and we understand that. She's a great gal and she'll do a great job for Spartanburg.

"She wanted a new challenge. She's a done a great job for us. She just saw Spartanburg as an opportunity to grow professionally, I think," he added.

Banning said Hubbard has been vital in creating a stronger, better Lexington County.

"Oh my goodness, she's helped this Council to refocus, to help us get our industrial park, and in the re-organization of almost the whole county," Banning said. "She's helped us oversee [that] and been a key part in everything we've done. She's left her little fingerprints all over Lexington County, that's for sure."

Similar to her Lexington County duties, in Spartanburg Hubbard will be responsible for carrying out the policies and ordinances of the County Council, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the county, and appointing all non-elected county department heads. 

The County Administrator is assisted by a deputy administrator and an assistant administrator. Annual functions of the office include preparation of a proposed budget and associated projects, review of departmental performances, oversight of capital projects, and participation in economic recruitment activities.

According to the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Hubbard takes over for an interim administrator who resigned in late October, two months earlier than anticipated. The original administrator, Glenn Breed, had resigned earlier this year after an audit "revealed problems with county leadership," the paper said.

"Long-time Councilman David Britt said Hubbard was the finest administrator candidate he's seen in his two-plus decades on council," the paper stated.

Horton said it's been a rough-go of late in the county. "We're glad she's been made available, we really are," he told Patch.

"We've had a real challenging year here," Horton said. "We have made tremendous changes. We had an administrator resign. We've had some issues in our Parks & Rec department. We turned the detention center over to our sheriff to run. We changed County Attorneys this year and brought attorneys in-house. Lots of changes and challenges around here. So Katherine really has the ability to come in and shine. Because there was a lot of heavy lifting done this year, I'll be honest with you."

Hubbard has been Lexington County Administrator since 2006. Prior to that she was the county's Human Resources Director. A native of Washington, D.C., Hubbard's academic background and early experience was in urban planning.

"She has a very impressive list of credentials and background in local government, a vast amount of experience," Horton said. "She's been through the ranks and paid her dues. And she came highly recommended. I talked to a lot of folks who called me since her name was mentioned and telling me the type of person that she is, so we're very pleased that Katherine was available for us to make a selection."

Horton added: "We feel comfortable that we made the right decision going forward, and got the right fit for Spartanburg County."

Check back with Patch as we continue to update this story.

Original post: Lexington County Administrator has been named administrator of Spartanburg County, according to a report from the Spartanburg Herald-Journal.

Hubbard was hired as Lexington County's chief administrative officer in 2006. Before that, she served 10 years as the county's human resources director. 

Hubbard, along with County Council members, were in Clemson on Monday for a strategic planning retreat and not immediately available for comment.

Check back here on irmo.patch.com or at lexington-sc.patch.com for more on this story.