Board appoints Derek Kalish interim county administrator, names Josh Elder interim deputy

The Richland County Board of Supervisors on a voice vote approved appointments to cover the county’s top administrative duties while it recruits a permanent county administrator. The board approved an MOU appointing Derek Kalish as interim county administrator, effective when the current administrator’s position becomes vacant, and designated Josh Elder as interim deputy county administrator.

The action, introduced by the executive finance standing committee, was moved by Manning and seconded by Cosgrove. Chair (speaker 1) described the committee’s review of options—bringing in an external interim, selecting an internal candidate or assigning shared responsibilities—and said the committee concluded a paired interim administrator and deputy arrangement made the most sense.

County Administrator Candace, who is preparing a transition and a handoff of documents and processes, told the board she will remain available to assist after her departure and that the interim arrangement will help maintain continuity across projects such as the campus and radio tower effort. "I have prepared kind of a transition document," Candace said, and she offered to brief Derek and Josh on how files and processes are organized.

Board members asked procedural questions about attendance and capacity for the interim deputy role; the chair and staff said the deputy is intended as backup rather than a permanent additional full-time hire. The motion passed by voice vote; the transcript records no roll-call tally for this motion.

The board directed staff to implement the MOU terms and to proceed with the separate recruitment process for a permanent county administrator, including working with the recruitment firm the board approved later in the meeting.