The Forsyth County commission may soon elevate Interim County Manager Doug Derrer to county manager.
Derrer said commissioners met Friday morning and "made a determination, an announcement, that I am the sole finalist for the position of county manager."
He said a 14-day period of review, during which the public and others may comment on the selection, would follow the announcement.
The appointment then goes before the commission in the form of a contract. Derrer said he plans to accept the position if it's offered.
If so, he would be the fifth person to hold the spot since 2004.
Derrer previously worked for Hall County government, retiring in December 2007 after more than 25 years of service.
A couple months later, he joined Forsyth as deputy county manager. He became interim county manager after Rhonda Poston-O'Connor was fired as county manager in September. The vote to fire Poston-O'Connor was 3-2.
Commissioner Patrick Bell said the decision to name Derrer as sole finalist is one of the first times since he took office two months ago that "the board is on the same page of a major issue."
"Everybody's very pleased with how Doug has conducted himself," Bell said. "He's 100 percent deserving of this. He is very apolitical, and he does not get involved in political skirmishes.
"He is very competent and very focused on the business of the county."
Derrer's contract as interim county manager became official Sept. 23, following a 5-0 board vote.
His contract specified the same $130,000 annual salary as Poston-O'Connor with two benefit provisions retained from his contract as deputy county manager.
As interim county manager, he has worked with the board of commissioners and other management to establish long-range goals, strategies, plans and policies.
During his time with Hall County, Derrer worked in a number of capacities, including public works director and supervisor of code enforcement. He also served as city manager of Flowery Branch.
A former police officer in Miami-Dade County, Fla., Derrer has a bachelor's degree in public administration and criminal justice.