Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Mt. Pleasant Makes Offer To Aspiring City Manager
Chris Graham/ Columbia Daily Herald
Commissioners have extended a job offer to a candidate for the city’s vacant chief administrative position.
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Charles Beal, who is the city recorder and finance director for McKenzie, a small town about 45 miles northeast of Jackson, confirmed he was offered the position last week.
“We are in negotiations,” he said. “... A decision will be made this week.”
Interim City Manager Debbie McMullin wrote in an e-mail Monday that commissioners offered Beal a salary of $70,000, use of a city car, two weeks vacation and full benefits.
If Beal were to take the job, the town will have a permanent city manager for the first time in a little over a year.
In February 2009, the board voted not to renew Richard Goode’s contract as city manager, effectively ousting him from the position. Goode’s salary was $83,000 plus benefits.
The sudden firing coupled with allegations by Mayor Richard Hendrix that Goode lied about items in the city’s budget brought lawsuits against the mayor and city seeking a combined $2.5 million.
The lawsuit against the city asked a judge to prevent the town from hiring another city manager and reinstate Goode, who is now the city manager in Menominee, Mich.
As of Monday, the cases were still pending and no rulings had been made. McMullin declined comment on the lawsuits.
Beal has been McKenzie’s city recorder since 2003. According to the U.S. Census, McKenzie’s population was 5,295 compared to Mt. Pleasant’s population, which stood at 4,491.
Before becoming McKenzie’s city recorder, Beal was regional vice president for Regions Bank in McKenzie for 13 years and graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, commercial and finance management.
He is one of eight candidates competing for the job. He also vied for the position in 2008 before Goode was hired.
Some of the issues facing Beal if he were to take office will be a violation-prone wastewater system, which may face sanctions from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Inspectors have found sewage leaking from the base of the city’s multi-million dollar wastewater lagoon system.
The city is also reeling from the loss of numerous manufacturing jobs amid a recession that is still gripping the nation.
Beal said he is well-aware of the issues facing Mt. Pleasant and thinks he is the right person to handle the job, pending the contract negotiations.
“It’s just a challenge that I would be wanting to tackle,” he said.
Hendrix, Vice Mayor John Davis Jr. and Commissioners Bob Shackelford, Chris Frierson and Maury Colvett Sr. could not be reached for comment Monday.
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