The job as permanent Dover City Administrator belongs to now interim admin Charles Parks, Sr., if he wants it.
Or at least it seems to be heading in that direction.
At last week’s Dover City Council meeting, Mayor Lesa Fitzhugh told council members and audience that at September’s city meeting, she plans to recommend that the interim tag be lifted from Parks and to give him the job as permanent Dover City Administrator.
Fitzhugh recommended Parks “write up and submit’ his own contract and it would be looked at. She said Parks has done an “excellent job” as Dover’s top appointed official in the 14 months he has served as interim.
At one time, — and for a very, very long time — the job as Dover City Administrator was one of the top one or two most powerful and influential jobs in Stewart County or Dover and for many years it was the most powerful job in either the city or the county.
Current city attorney Olivia Wann said she would have to check the legalities to make sure the city can just promote Parks without going through an advertised search and hiring process for a city administrator. Parks took over in the slot as ‘interim’ for the past 14 months with the departure of former city administrator Gerald Campbell. Campbell got the job from among several applicants after longtime Dover City Administrator Kim Wallace, who also doubled as Dover’s Police Chief during some of that time, retired. Dover has seen numerous city administrators in the top slot since longtime City Administrator Jimmy Scurlock left city business. After Scurlock, Wallace was the longest serving city administrator. Parks is also head of Water and Wastewater for the municipality.
For months, Parks has said he does not want the job, but he seems to have softened under persuasion.
During the recent meeting, Fitzhugh listed Parks’ many accomplishments for the city.
“I would second that motion!” ejaculated one city employee aloud during the meeting.
(I use that term to see if the local publication of record who had a reporter there will say there was anything said verbally out loud as the last time I said something under my breath during a meeting it was reported in that publication that I had “blurted out.” — I guess since I am a Dover taxpayer and the local publication is not a Dover Property taxpayer, I can say something aloud at a city meeting if I wish…
This story will update …
Story and Photo by David R. Ross .. LBLUS.com
