By Jimmie Haywood
& Josh Akeman
With striking of the gavel the town of Tyrone finally filled a void.
After nearly a year of searching the town has finally chosen Kyle Hood to fill the vacant town manager position during its town meeting on Sep. 7.
With a unanimous decision Hood was selected for the position out of a pool that included two other finalists. The decision came after interim city manager Brandon Perkins addressed the council with a request of a nomination and a vote for one of the three finalists whose names were sent to the press on Aug. 17: Amy Brumelow – Planning Director, Douglas County, Georgia; Scott Haeberlin – Former City Planner, City of Doraville, Georgia; and Kyle Hood – County Manager, Upson County, Georgia.
Hood, a 28 year old graduate of Georgia College and State University, is currently the Upson County Manager and has been in that role for the last four years.
The search for a new town manager has been lengthy, as the previous town manager Richard Newbern was let go in November of last year.
Tyrone Mayor Eric Dial said Hood has been a candidate "for some time," and was selected from among "dozens of resumes."
Dial also said that the town is still "in the middle of wrapping up negotiations on terms, then we'll be in the process of drafting the contract. We hope he can start around October 1, but I can't say for sure."
Since Newbern's exit late last year, Tyrone police chief Brandon Perkins has been serving as interim town manager while also fulfilling his duties as police chief. In an interview earlier this year Perkins credited the people in his department for taking on a greater role to allow him to fulfill both duties properly.
Dial was extremely appreciate of Perkins' service, "Brandon has done an outstanding job. He has come into an environment that was unfamiliar for him, but he was willing to step in and fulfill those tasks that he wasn't used to and he did an outstanding job staying on top of everything, holding staff accountable for getting everything done and for carrying out the wishes of council. He's so organized and disciplined that it was a good fit for him. We couldn't have asked more from him." |
