Russell was among three candidates chosen as finalists by the five-member Sarasota County Commission during a Tuesday meeting, Communications Director Crystal Pruitt said.
The commission subsequently added a fourth, North Palm Beach, Fla., City Administrator Ed Mitchell, to the list at the encouragement of the executive headhunter handling the search, Pruitt confirmed.
Russell goes against Mitchell; Alachua County, Fla., Administrator Randall Reid; and York County, S.C., Manager James E. Baker in an interview process that begins with a meet-and-greet Sunday, she said.
Russell said he was “honored to be selected as one of the finalists and look(s) forward to discussing the opportunity with members of the Sarasota commission.”
