- April 26, 2024
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Jorge Salinas, the deputy city manager and chief information officer for the city of Albany, Oregon, was selected on Sept. 1 as the chief of staff for Flagler County Administrator Jerry Cameron. The position, formerly called deputy administrator, had been vacant since Cameron was hired in 2019, and it will have a salary of $147,000.
Salinas, originally from Puerto Rico, said he is keenly interested in government transparency, having helped the city of Albany earn distinction as one of 25 municipalities in the United States to receive a Certificate of Excellence in Performance Management from ICMA in 2020.
As CIO in Albany, he used data to drive innovation, he said.
"Technology is one of the key ingredients for any government organization, and having that background will allow me to help Flagler County to innovate and reduced the cost of government," he said in a phone interview Sept. 1.
Cameron decided to hire a chief of staff, in part, because he knows he'll be retiring next year and wants to develop a successor. Salinas said he would be open to assuming that role, if the County Commission decided to hire him when the time comes, but he is focused now on being the chief of staff only.
Although the position is one that Cameron has authority to hire and fire without the County Commission’s input, Cameron decided to get commissioners' help in the hiring process. Commissioners interviewed finalists individually — in separate rooms to avoid any possible violation of the Sunshine Law — and Cameron also asked three of his former colleagues in St. Johns County administration to weigh in for an outsider's perspective. Human Resources employees were also consulted in the process.
Salinas was favored for the position by a wide margin, Cameron said.
Other finalists included Flagler County General Services Director Heidi Petito, who will be the interim chief of staff until Salinas is able to begin full time in January. She was part of the first Leadership Academy class that Cameron taught with Joe Saviak, an intensive workshop that began in September 2019 and concluded in May 2020. The goal of the class, Cameron said, was to develop leadership skills among county staff and improve the culture in county government. The next session begins Sept. 28.
Cameron said he appreciates Salinas’ expertise in Six Sigma leadership principles.
“He has developed a number of dashboards that allow the public to go in at any time and see the budgets for things, and how well we’re doing on conserving energy and all those sorts of things,” Cameron said. “He’s been very successful with that, and that was a big attraction for me.”
