County owned Hospital in the process of hiring a new CEO. The board wants to meet in executive session to review the list of candidates and come to a short list for interviews.
1. Can they meet in executive session to narrow the list to the top 5 or so? I believe they can.
2. Can they refuse to disclose the names of the people considered who did not make the short list? I don't think we can withhold this info as it is not a specifically listed position in the open records act.
Any differing thoughts?

I think you are right on this one; the names of people who have applied for a position don't seem to fit into any protected catagory. However - do you have to release them prior to taking action on your short list? There might be some reasons, especially in a relatively small - at times volatile - community that you might prefer to wait.