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Demorest Interim City Manager Mark Musselwhite (right) talks with resident Frankie Smith while waiting out the city council’s executive session Wednesday night. MATTHEW OSBORNE/Staff
Demorest continued its search for a permanent city manager Wednesday night with a nearly two-hour executive session to discuss the latest pool of applicants, while their interim city manager sat in the other room conversing with citizens and staff.
Mark Musselwhite has been running the city since Kim Simonds resigned in December, and he waited patiently Wednesday for a decision about his future with Demorest, though none came.
Two citizens spoke before the closed portion of the meeting to support Musselwhite for the job.
“I didn’t know Mark before he came here, but I have watched since he took the job, and he has jumped in with both feet and taken control of the city,” Demorest resident Jimmy Davis said. “Putting anyone else in there puts our city in jeopardy.”
Frankie Smith agreed, saying it was “foolish to hire anybody else when you have the guy right there who can handle this position.”
“Mark looks you right in the face when he speaks and he listens to you,” Smith said. “He saved the city more than $95,000 on health insurance, and he saved us more money on copier rates. He has taken time to learn about our employees.”
In February, the City Council held two closed meetings but did not name any finalists for the permanent job. Instead, they readvertised it for two more weeks.
After interviews took place in the latter half of March, the council came together again to discuss the new pool, coming up with three finalists announced Thursday – Joseph Hayes, Daniel Magee and Musselwhite.
“I think we have had some really great conversations with the council,” Demorest Mayor Jerry Harkness said. “We have some great applicants.”
Harkness, Councilman Shawn Allen and Police Chief Robin Krockum praised the job Musselwhite has done for the city after the February meetings ended in a stalemate for a permanent hire.
“I am very humbled, very honored to make the finalists’ list of three,” Musselwhite said Thursday.
“I enjoyed seeing the support from the citizens who spoke on my behalf. I look forward to the next round of interviewing, and I will continue to work hard for the city every day until a decision is made.”