Ward seeks to move outside town limits

JacksonHeraldTODAY

Email Alerts

Twitter

Facebook

Ward seeks to move outside town limits

Wednesday, January 6. 2010

City manager John Ward has asked the Jefferson City Council to allow him to live outside the town’s city limits.

The council has not taken action on Ward’s request, but the issue was apparently discussed during a closed session last week during an annual evaluation of Ward’s job performance.
Ward ask in a Dec. 7 letter to the Mayor and council to have his contract changed such that he could move within a 30-mile radius of the city.

“This option will offer my wife great flexibility in her employment options, offer greater opportunity for me to realize my dream of owning a small farm and/or of purchasing land in the County on which to build and keep my response distance within 20 to 25 minutes,” said Ward in the letter.

Trackbacks

Trackback specific URI for this entry

No Trackbacks

Comments

Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)

#1 Shelia T. on 01/06/10 at 03:49 PM [Reply]

The Braselton City Manager lives outside the city limits but she still does a good job for the city. As long as John Ward keeps getting the City of Jefferson grant after grant like he has done so far, keeps operating the City so that it operates financially in the black like he has done so far, and keeps making positive changes that will provide better services like he has done so far, then I say he should be allowed to live where he wants to. We are lucky we have a City Manager who works so hard.

#1.1 Jeffersonian on 01/07/10 at 05:11 AM [Reply]

Sheila makes a good point, but he signed a contract agreeing to live in the city limits. In this economic climate, I have no doubt we could find an equally qualified City Manager who would be willing to live in the town he manages.

I find it odd that people don't want to live in Jefferson. And it's usually not the newer arrivals that dislike J-town, it seems to be the people who have been here for all of their lives. What gives?

#1.2 come on man on 01/07/10 at 10:10 PM [Reply]

You must be his wife...the only thing he is doing is building him a resume so he can go somewhere else. He went to school in Columbus while the City still payed his salary and drove his city car. The only one he is working hard for is himself.

#1.2.1 Shelia T. on 01/08/10 at 02:47 PM [Reply]

No. I'm not his wife but I know John. I volunteer for Jefferson because I care. Yes John is building his resume - check out my post above - to see what he is building it with - success. John took time off to finish his Master's degree and he always drove his personal car not a city vehicle. He also would not be making plans to invest in a farm if he was planning to leave.

#1.2.1.1 come on man on 01/09/10 at 02:56 PM [Reply]

It really sounds like you’re very close to him, did he take vacation time to do all this school down there and remember that can be verified, and no he went on city time. The fact is he does not want to be in this town and this town by majority does not want him

#1.2.2 Emmett Delaney on 01/11/10 at 09:20 AM [Reply]

Is resume building a bad thing? I really don't know since I haven't worked for anyone since I can remember. I mean.....doesn't everyone try to build the best resume they can?

What are the disadvantages to Mr. Ward living outside the city limits? Someone educate me here. (Innocent question)

#1.3 bigdragon on 01/08/10 at 08:46 PM [Reply]

Shelia, it's a simple matter of integridy. Either you have it or you don't. Guess where not living up to your contract falls. If John doesn't like it then he needs to petition to have it changed for the next person that signs a contract. Apparently you are one of these " the end justifies the means" types!!!!! I don't agree. I don't want a city manager that doesn't want to live in the city! That would be like having a president that is not a citizen of the country.................

#2 oldgadawg on 01/08/10 at 06:15 PM [Reply]

What does it matter where he lives, as long as he does his job. I can see not giving him a car to drive or car allowance if outside the city, if he wants to move.

#3 yep that's right on 01/08/10 at 07:16 PM [Reply]

I find it a crying shame that an elected or appointed official would not want to live in the city or county they represent. If Ward does not have enough pride to live in the city he works then he needs to go.

I have heard of law enforcement officers not wanting to live in the same area they work. This makes sense as I would not want to run into some drug dealer I had arrested while off duty with my family.

The whole Ward issue is totally different though. If he doesn't want to live here then he will not have his heart in the job. Its time for him to be a man and move on while he still can...

#4 bigdragon on 01/08/10 at 08:40 PM [Reply]

John, it's pretty simple! You have a contract. Abide by it or move on. If it is more important to you to play a supporting role to your wife than live up to you obligations to the city of Jefferson, then by all means resign and support her. Otherwise shut up and do the job you signed on to do! For God's sake, renegotiate your contract. Who do you think you are, a professional athelete?

#5 okay on 01/09/10 at 01:16 PM [Reply]

Abide by your contract, next thing we will say council members don't have to live in their dist. The Mayor can live in Athens. The Govenor can live in Texas.

You are not special. Fullfill your contract or resign.

#6 Shelia T. on 01/10/10 at 07:59 AM [Reply]

I think it is clear that several of you don't understand that a it was time for John to renegotiate his contract. He was not asking for more money, even though he has turned the financial situation of this City around totally. If his only request does not get granted then I can only hope he will stay. It is usual and customary to discuss any type of contract change when a contract is renewed as John's was.
Atleast someone got the professional part right. John is a professional and was renegotiating his contract in a professional manner. You can talk about John's integrity and about his support of family all you want - it is clear that you don't know John. Your lack of knowledge about the process, the issues and John serve to support John the more you comment and display your misguided and inaccurate perspective.
In a way, I want to say thank you for making it clear to others so that they can see what type of person is complaining about a job well done.

#6.1 bigdragon on 01/11/10 at 04:29 PM [Reply]

It is my opinion that John's legacy is not complete. In the long run has he helped or hurt the City? Time will show which way that balance tilts!

#6.1.1 HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM on 01/12/10 at 08:35 PM [Reply]

Bigdragon,
In the long run has he helped or hurt the City?
That is an easy one,

Before John arrived:
$1,000,000 or more in debt.
No accountability for spending within departments(spend now worry about it later).

After John:
City ending year in Black
Most departments coming in Under budget and returning funds to general fund
services not being sacrificed or cut

I don't know about you but those points right there speak volumes about has he helped or hurt the city

#6.1.1.1 bigdragon on 01/14/10 at 12:54 AM [Reply]

Your points are goood, and I'm sure well intended, but I still say,,,, his legacy is not complete!!!!

#7 knowshimwell on 01/14/10 at 07:30 PM [Reply]

Some peoples deal is they lie and walk over and through good people to make them selves look better, maybe they were beat up as a kid and the last one to always get picked but with some it's all the above.

#8 dogpack on 01/15/10 at 03:51 PM [Reply]

After looking at the above post, I would not want to live inside the city of Jefferson if I were him either. Good Luck John, I'm not sure why you would want to work for a city full of people who don't care about what you have done anyway.

#9 The facts on 01/17/10 at 07:16 PM [Reply]

Byrd Bruce was the Mayor of Jefferson for over 25 years and I don't think he ever raised taxes to levels higher than any city around, and then brag about all the things he done. The reason the City of Jefferson is in the black is because of the taxpayers. The taxes are so high people are having to move out of the city, it’s not them doing a great job managing the money, they just raised the taxes till they had enough money to pay for all their pet projects and then pat each other on the back telling them how great they are. I don't blame him for wanting to move out of the city, if I made his money and could save on all taxes I would move too.

#10 Emmett Delaney on 01/19/10 at 09:39 AM [Reply]

It seems apparent that Mr. Ward is either loved or hated. Wow! Maybe I am the only person in town who simply seeks to learn more about the issue without having an already pre-concieved ideaology about it.

No one answered my initial question;
What are the disadvantages to Mr. Ward living outside the city limits?

#10.1 info on 01/19/10 at 07:26 PM [Reply]

It looks bad for business for the guy asking other people to come and live, do business here to not live in the city. He signed a contract as that he would live inside the city. He drives a city car that would cost taxpayers more. It all boils downs to you can't tell how great Jefferson is if you don't live here.

#10.2 bigdragon on 01/19/10 at 10:17 PM [Reply]

Emmett, if only City residents can vote in Mayoral elections or referendums concerning the City, why would you even consider letting a note resident "manage" the city. Let's just call it vested interest!

#11 Shelia T. on 01/20/10 at 01:22 PM [Reply]

In addition to all the hard work that John does each and every day, he also does quite a bit of volunteer work for the citizens of Jeffeson. I wonder if other city's managers volunteer to pick up trash on the side of the road? One of the most recent projects that he has worked on is that he developed a web site for the Jackson County Certified Literate Community Program in order to encourage people to get their GED's. Maybe he is more in touch with the needs of the communtiy than most of you realize, especially after attempting to read "knowshimwell's" comments above.

#12 bigdragon on 01/22/10 at 10:29 AM [Reply]

Why am I debating you on this? Let him go! He will probably trip over one of his own land mines on the way back into town!

Add Comment

Name
Email
Homepage
In reply to
Comment: E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications.

To prevent automated Bots from commentspamming, please enter the string you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly.

Enter the string from the spam-prevention image above:
Phone*

What is four plus two?
: Remember Information? Subscribe to this entry
: Submitted comments will be subject to moderation before being displayed.

This Week's Poll

Community

Jackson Community

Ward seeks to move outside town limits

JacksonHeraldTODAY

Ward seeks to move outside town limits

Recent Stories

Recent Comments

This Week's Poll

Sister Sites

Archives

Community

Keyword Tags