As Kirn leaves, MCAG will conduct search for new executive director

The Merced County Association of Governments will be in transition in January as the search begins for a new executive director.

Marjie Kirn, the current executive director, will take a new job in the same role with the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments next year.

At its December meeting, MCAG appointed Stacie Dabbs as interim executive director.

Kirn was appointed interim executive director in 2012 before being officially hired as executive director in 2013. Her career with MCAG stretches back to 1991. Her salary as executive director was $163,600.

Kirn noted that during her four years at the helm, MCAG has celebrated two groundbreaking ceremonies and four ribbon-cuttings. Both the Atwater-Merced Expressway and the Plainsburg overpass were started and completed in her tenure. The Arboleda Road interchange and Bradley overpass widening projects also were completed in 2014.

Landfill operations have improved and cut costs and The Bus has expanded its services, including adding several new buses and buying property for a new bus maintenance facility, Kirn said.

Another major feat for MCAG came right after Kirn announced her next career move. Merced County voters passed Measure V, a half-cent sales tax transportation measure, in November.

When she first began her role, Kirn said her top two priorities were the Atwater-Merced Expressway and the Los Banos Bypass. While the expressway project is rolling along, the bypass project on the Westside has struggled to gain steam.

Moving forward, Kirn said Measure V will help to pin down funding for the expensive bypass project, along with building relationships with the California Department of Transportation and the city of Los Banos.

“The Los Banos Bypass still is the No. 1 priority for this region,” Kirn said. “It’s a tougher project to accomplish because of the price tag on the project.”

MCAG has tried multiple times to win funding for the project and come up short. Kirn said it’s important to keep trying.

“The transportation measure will help immensely in those conversations because now we have something to bring to the table,” she said.

MCAG has hired CPS HR Consulting to lead the search for a new executive director. The contract is for a maximum of $25,000. The process is expected to last about four months.

Four directors also will serve on a search committee for the new executive director: Merced County Supervisors Daron McDaniel and Jerry O’Banion, Merced Mayor-elect Mike Murphy and Gustine’s Mayor Pro Tem Joe Oliveira.

In the meantime, Dabbs will take an “abridged” maternity leave and return to the interim position in February. She said the organization’s strong management staff has worked in Kirn’s absence in the past when she’s taken vacation. Dabbs will be paid a salary of $134,600 as interim.

This story was originally published December 16, 2016 at 5:39 PM with the headline "As Kirn leaves, MCAG will conduct search for new executive director."