By: Sheila Crowley
Murray County News Staffwriter
Tom Burke was one of four finalists chosen to interview for the position of county administrator on June 27th. After considering options, the Murray County Commissioners decided this past winter to realign the county management structure by hiring an administrator to directly supervise all department heads (both elected and appointed). A coordinator, as the county had in the past, only served as a link between individual department heads and the board.
Murray County is now part of the long-term trend toward administrators among Minnesota’s 87 counties.
During the interview process, Burke first had one-to-one meetings with department heads and then the full board. Burke started his new position on Monday, July 22nd at a salary of $105,851.95.
Burke’s most recent position was serving as Cass County Director of Health, Human and Veteran Services for the past two years. Prior to that, he served for 19 years in nearby Aitkin County as Director of Health and Human Services. He has bachelor and master degrees in social work.
Burke’s career started in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he served in child protection as part of his social work position. He earned his master’s degree and then moved on to work with the VA in Knoxville, Iowa in 1993. A year into this position, Burke was promoted to management level coordinating the PTST program.
Four years later, Burke moved to Aitkin, Minnesota to serve as a director for health and human services. During this time he did a seven-month stint as an interim as administrator. He remained in this position for 19 years before moving on to Cass County where he served as a deputy director.
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