By Kate Day

The El Camino Hospital Board of Directors interviewed six candidates for the position of chief executive officer at special meetings last weekend at Los Altos Golf & Country Club. The board will schedule a public meeting later this month to introduce the finalists before making the appointment.

The interviews took place in closed sessions Friday through Sunday and were followed by an open session where members of the public had an opportunity to address hospital board members. The hospital declined to release any information about the applicants until the announcement of the final candidates.

Former CEO Lee Domanico resigned in December after five years in the job. In January, the hospital announced that Witt/Kiefer, the firm that brought Domanico to the facility, had been hired to search for a successor. Chief Financial Officer Marla Gularte has served as interim CEO while continuing her CFO duties.

Domanico oversaw the approval of $148 million in general obligation bonds to bring El Camino Hospital into conformance with state seismic standards. A lawsuit filed by Saratoga resident Aaron Katz in January 2005, which challenges the legality of the hospital district’s November 2003 bond election, has delayed construction. The publicly funded parts of the project may be forced to rebid if resolution is not reached by May 10.