The Demorest City Council has reappointed Mark Musselwhite as city manager for a third year during its regular meeting Tuesday evening. Musselwhite was hired in December 2022 on an interim basis after Kim Simonds resignation. He was appointed by the council as the permanent city manager in April 2023.
The city manager contract was on the work session agenda but was not discussed publicly. It was moved to executive session for personnel for discussion by the council. Musselwhite did not attend the closed session. The council was in closed session for about 25 minutes.
After returning to the work session, the council came out of the closed meeting and adjourned the work session. However, the city manager’s contract was also on the regular meeting agenda for discussion.
When the contract came up for discussion, Mayor Jerry Harkness told the council that the last meeting was a special called meeting. They could not add the city manager’s contract at that time. “So we have it back in front of us again tonight. Council, how would you like to proceed?” he asked.
After a pause, Council member Donnie Bennett made the motion, “That we offer Mark the contract as approved.” Council member Shawn Allen second the motion. The council voted 3-1 with Council member Jimmy Davis being the dissenting vote.
No details of the contract were discussed during the work session nor the regular meeting. Now Habersham requested a copy of the city manager’s new contract. However, a copy of the contract was not immediately available during the meeting.
Honored
After the meeting, Musselwhite was honored with the reappointment by the council. “It’s a very big honor. I really appreciate their confidence in me,” he said. “It’s a very rewarding job.”
For 2025, Musselwhite sees the focus being on water and sewer for the city. He said that the city will move forward with making the water and sewer system more financially sound. Musselwhite said that the city would continue expanding the city’s infrastructure and make repairs throughout the system.
Past performance
During Musselwhite’s three years, the city has moved forward at break-neck speed. Just months after his appointment as interim city manager, city hall moved from the small building downtown to the old Demorest Elementary School building. The city built a pavilion in Demorest Springs Park.
Brent Lee Moore Memorial Field was renovated to include the reconditioning of a water fountain built in the mid-1980’s by Eagle Scout Travis Roseman. The city has also seen economic development efforts pay off with Farmhouse Coffee and Holden Oversoul Kitchen and Oyster Bar investing in the downtown area.
