County Board Chair Richard Brunk says one of the reasons he stood out from other possible candidates was his long-term commitment to Silvis - he served as administrator for 20 years.
"A city administrator serving for two decades is not the norm. Those people who do that are definitely the outliers, as we've seen with Rock Island County - in roughly six years we've averaged a new administrator every 2.75 years."
He and other board members also liked the city's significant growth in housing and commercial development during Grafton's tenure.
Brunk thinks he'll serve as interim administrator for probably 6 to 7 months, allowing the county board to hire a finance director, and then search for a new administrator.
Board members have been talking about hiring a finance director for about two years, as the next step in having a professional staff running Rock Island County.
"And having a finance director actually working within the administration office will allow, and provide the opportunity, for the board and administration to fulfill its statutory responsibility when it comes to county finances."
Who-ever is hired would be the first ever finance director for the county.