By Sean Whaley, Nevada News Bureau: Richard Combs, currently an Assembly fiscal analyst and member of the LCB staff since 1994, was the unanimous choice today of a legislative panel to become the next director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau.
The recommendation of the Committee to Consult with the Director will now go to the Legislative Commission for action later this month.
The committee interviewed five candidates for the position today, including four current members of the Legislative Counsel Bureau staff. The fifth candidate was the assistant director of the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel for the state of Utah.
Lawmakers on the panel came down to two finalists after the interviews: Combs and Paul Townsend, currently the legislative auditor and a member of the LCB staff since 1987.
Members of the panel discussed the need to hire a director who could be ready for the 2013 legislative session while at the same time seeking someone with leadership capabilities.
“Always in the back of our mind is next session because it is like the inevitable, right,” said Assembly Majority Leader Marcus Conklin, D-Las Vegas. “But there are more sessions past that too. And the next person, at least in theory, could be here for awhile. And you want somebody who can carry on the traditions, deliver all the services that LCB currently does, but is also open to change, open to new ways of accomplishing the same thing, maybe more efficient.”
Combs will succeed Lorne Malkiewich, who retired as director of the LCB in early April after serving in the position for more than 18 years. The position pays $138,000 a year.
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Audio clip:
Assemblyman Marcus Conklin says the new director should be someone who is open to change:
051512Conklin :29 maybe more efficient.”
