Washington City Council hires a new Manager | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Josh Kay will be the new Washington City Manager. The Washington Council announced that last night (5-2-11) and the Clinton, South Carolina council met and accepted Mr. Kay's resignation.

    Kay is a relatively young man, having experience in Clinton as assistant manager and most recently as manager but without experience elsewhere. He was raised in the area of Clinton and went to high school and college there. He worked for Presbyterian College, which is located in Clinton, as a development officer before going to work with the City of Clinton.

    Clinton is very comparable to Washington. It is about the same demographically. It's located in the "Upstate" area in Laurens County near Greenville, S.C. which is southwest of Charlotte, NC. You can learn more about Clinton at: www.cityofclintonsc.com.

    In a brief phone interview with Larry Franklin, the publisher of the Clinton Chronicle, Kay was described in very positive terms by the media person who covers city government. Mr. Franklin said that Kay had taken over the city at a time when the financial situation was in rather serious trouble and had gradually brought more stability to the financial operations. When asked how Kay approched financial straits, Franklin immediately predicted he would seek to cut expenditures before raising taxes or utility rates.

    Clinton operates an electric utility and has suffered many of the same problems, particularly with the cost of wholesale power, as has Washington, but Franklin indicated that Kay had worked steadily to "wean the general operating accounts" from using electric funds to balance the budget and "while we've still got a ways to go, he has demonstrated a commitment to get that job done" said Franklin.

    When asked what he thought had been Kay's biggest challenge Franklin said immediately: "economic development." "He wants to grow and improve the local economy as a way to make the city successful and he's worked hard at doing just that the last few years. He's done a good job in spite of the economic conditions in recent years."

    Franklin summed it up concisely when he said: "Washington is getting a good man and while we hate to lose Josh, we wish him well."

    You can get a feel for Kay and Clinton by searching the archives at: www.clintonchronicle.com.