In the wake of Former Presiding Commissioner Ed Robb’s death on Saturday, Boone County Commissioners Skip Elkin and Karen Miller will rotate on a weekly basis to fill the void he left.
By Matt Norris (Columbia, Mo.)
Northern District Commissioner Skip Elkin says Robb left some big shoes to fill.
“He had a lot of things going on and it’s going to be difficult to try to do everything that he was working on but we are going to do our best to try to limp through this and keep the gaps filled.”
The “gaps” include projects like new management for the Boone County Fairgrounds and the 2012 county budget. Robb was a former economics professor at the University of Missouri and president of an economics consulting firm. Elkin says these qualifications gave Robb a special understanding of the game plan needed for tackling the budget.
“He certainly had unique perspective and insight on budget and finance and everything and we’re certainly going to miss his expertise in that arena but we just need to keep moving forward.”
Governor Jay Nixon’s spokesperson Scott Holste set guidelines for steps to be taken in order to find a permanent replacement for Robb.
“There’s no statutory timeline for the governor to fill this position. Certainly we will want to ensure that we will have the most qualified person in place in a manner that is as timely as possible.”
Holste says Nixon must make moves as soon as possible. Elkin, a National Guard reservist, will be taking a leave of absence in December. He made this decision official just two days before Robb died.