It’s been nearly four decades since Demorest last conducted a search for a new city manager and there are lots of people who want the job. Mayor Rick Austin says 21 people have applied for the position so far. He says a few of the applicants are local, the rest are from out of state. “There are applications that range as far as the upper mid-west, the state of Texas, the east coast – we have one from Colorado – so, we have a number of folks that are out of state looking to come here and a number of qualified applicants from within the state, as well.” Austin says more than half of the applicants are male and some are former military.
The job of Demorest City Manager was left vacant last week when long-time city manager Juanita Crumley resigned/retired. She held the job for 39 years.
The search for her successor was posted through a state website. The posted deadline application is March 1st but Austin says the city is amending that to account for the possibility that someone may be hired before then. “If we find the right mix, the best fit for both the city and the individual, we’ll close it off and we’ll have a new city manager.”
The Demorest City Council is currently reviewing applications. “We expect that within the next week we’re going to whittle that pool down,” Austin says. Once the council decides on its top three candidates their names will be made public.
