Lavonia Manager Search Ongoing

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

The search for a new city manager for the city of Lavonia is moving forward.

Current Lavonia City Manager Gary Fesperman is retiring at the end of the year.

Last week, he gave the Lavonia City Council and Mayor Ralph Owens an update on the search.

Fesperman said they have garnered interest in the position from candidates across the country.

He said there were nine applications as of last week, three of them local with the rest from elsewhere, including one from Ohio.

According to Fesperman, the job is being advertised statewide, as well as on the state web site and other non-government sites.

He said the city will continue receiving applications for the position through Friday.

In April, the Mayor and City Council agreed on a timeline for bringing in a new Lavonia City Manager.

The Lavonia City Council says it hopes to have the new manager on the job by August so he or she can train with Fesperman through the end of the calendar year.

The Georgia Mountains Regional Commission is heading up the search.