Moss made permanent city manager


In a 6-2 vote, Interim City Manager Jerry Moss was offered the job of permanent city manager by the Henderson City Council at Monday evening’s meeting.

The debate regarding the issue, which took place behind closed doors, began when council member Ranger Wilkerson requested a closed session of the council before Item 10 on the agenda.

Item 10 on the council agenda generally involves the reports of the various council committees. The Search and Transition Committee, the city council committee that was charged with the search for a city manager to replace former City Manager Eric Williams, was scheduled to report during Item 11 on the agenda.

The current city council, which took office on December 5, 2005, declined to continue Williams’ contract. Since then, the Search and Transition Committee was formed for the specific purpose of finding a permanent replacement for Williams. Moss’ hiring as Interim City Manager was approved on December 30, 2005.

The council and the Search and Transition Committee went into executive session at approximately 7:30 p.m., about 20 minutes after the council meeting had begun. About 45 minutes later, the non-city council members of the Search and Transition Committee emerged as the council continued their closed session.

It was this reporter’s impression from the demeanor of those members that there had been some heated debate within the executive session.

Approximately ten minutes later, the meeting was re-opened to the public.

Henderson Mayor Clem Seifert then moved the report of the Search and Transition Committee, originally Item 11a on the agenda to Item 10a. Council member Ranger Wilkerson then reported for the committee.

Wilkerson reported that after 15 weeks with the Search and Transition Committee, they met long and hard and had finished up that day. He announced in the form of a motion that Moss had been selected as the new city manager of Henderson. He also stated that he hoped that the contract would be negotiated by the end of the next week.

The motion passed with council members Bernard Alston and Mary Emma Evans opposed.

Seifert thanked the members of the Search and Transition Committee for a job well done.

One member of the committee said before leaving, “Nothing wrong with a good, honest debate.”

After the council meeting ended, Evans congratulated Moss, shook his hand, and promised to support him.