WALHALLA — One month into his tenure as Oconee’s interim administrator, Gene Klugh has requested and received a three-week medical leave of absence.

Clerk to Council Beth Hulse issued a statement Friday saying that Klugh would not be paid for his time off. Klugh is scheduled to return to work Nov. 30.

During Klugh’s absence, Assistant Administrator Kendra Brown will wear the hat of interim administrator with Hulse’s assistance.

Brown and Hulse had been running day-to-day operations since June until council announced Oct. 6 that Klugh had been hired as interim administrator.

Klugh took the job on a part-time basis, working Monday through Wednesday at a rate of $70 an hour. He participated in Tuesday night’s council meeting and displayed no signs of ill health.

Oconee has been without an administrator since Dale Surrett was fired in April.

This week, council hired The Mercer Group, a national search firm with headquarters in Atlanta, to help find and hire a new county boss.

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