By Joe Friedrichs - Boreal Community Media - October 22, 2024

A death in the family of Cook County Administrator James Joerke will shift the responsibilities of the county’s top position to another individual on an interim basis.

Rowan Watkins, the county’s management information systems (MIS) director, will serve as interim county administrator for at least the next 12 weeks. 

Watkins was appointed on a unanimous vote during a meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Oct. 22. 

The commissioners discussed the situation regarding Joerke’s wife passing away and what it means in the short term for local government. This reporter confirmed with multiple sources that the county administrator’s wife died following a traffic accident in Kansas City, Missouri. According to numerous news reports from the Kansas City area, law enforcement responded to a report of an accident involving a vehicle and pedestrian with life-threatening injuries in the early afternoon of Oct.19. According to initial reports, a passenger bus was making a left turn on a city street downtown and struck a pedestrian, running them over. The pedestrian in this situation was Joerke’s wife. 

Ann Sullivan, the county board chair, said Joerke qualifies for up to 12 weeks off under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. The federal law protects Joerke’s job, she said. Sullivan shared that she was informed about the situation involving Joerke’s family on Saturday, Oct. 19. 

Before selecting Watkins, the board discussed appointing Auditor Braidy Powers, County Attorney Molly Hicken, or previous Interim County Administrator Rena Rogers to fill the vacancy created by Joerke’s absence.  

The county board agreed that Watkins is “very knowledgeable” and a “person of integrity” and chose him to step into the county administrator role on an interim basis.

Watkins spoke before the county board before the vote that appointed him as interim county administrator. Watkins told the commissioners that his department is positioned well at this time for him to delegate his responsibilities to others on the MIS staff. Watkins expressed concern about the interim tag extending beyond 12 weeks, which will be in early January, and his ability to continue serving as the administrator beyond that time period. Powers said it will be important for the county board to continue analyzing the situation and planning ahead rather than reacting in early 2025 if Joerke is not ready to return to work. 

Rowan Watkins. Photo: Cook County, MN

Watkins became the MIS Director for the County in 2021 after working in the department for many years. He was hired as a county employee in 2012. Watkins is a graduate of Cook County High School. In 2019, he was presented the Outstanding Leadership award at the state’s Public Safety Communication Conference for his role in supporting and advancing emergency communications networks and operations in Cook County. 

In a broad sense, the county administrator works with the county’s department heads and essentially oversees all aspects of local government. The administrator is “responsible for managing the county budget, assisting the county board to ensure the effectiveness of all county services, and providing county board agendas and minutes,” according to the county.