Guthrie again elected chairman of Board of Supervisors

“Honored, delighted and humbled.”

That is how Cloyd District Supervisor Joe Guthrie described his feelings Wednesday evening after being selected chairman by his fellow members of the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors during the board’s annual first-of-the-year re-organizational meeting.

“I want to thank everyone for your continued confidence in me as your chair,” Guthrie said after the board voted by acclimation to name him chairman for the second straight year.

“I look forward to working with you in the coming year and for continuing the success we have been having for the people of the county,” he said.

“All of us, in my mind, are co-equal members of this board,” Guthrie added. “We are each representing people of our district and the entire county and we are all equal in that regard – representing our constituents.”

Robinson District’s Charles Bopp was again selected – also by acclimation – as Vice Chairman.

Other appointments included Ashley Edmonds as Clerk of the Board, Natasha Grubb as Deputy Clerk and County Attorney Tim Kirtner as Parliamentarian.

In other action, the board approved a document to be used by each member to evaluate the job done in 2020 by County Administrator Jonathan Sweet.

The document uses a numeric scale for supervisors to grade Sweet’s performance in several areas and allows for comments by board members as well.

Sweet said he welcomed helpful criticism and accolades. “It’s important for me to get feedback,” he said, noting he doesn’t take offense to constructive feedback.

The administrator’s evaluation is done each year by the board.

The re-organizational meeting concluded with comments from individual board members.

Draper Supervisor Dirk Compton reflected back on 2020 and commended Sweet and county staff.

“It would have been easy with COVID to shut the door and hibernate. Y’all haven’t done that. You’ve kept pushing and pushing. I appreciate it,” Compton said.

He added that some other counties “have just like, ‘let’s hide out and ride this thing through.’”

“And the school board too. They’ve made tough decisions to keep these schools open and keep kids going back. Especially elementary school kids and kids with learning disabilities – they need that learning in the classroom. We can’t just sit them in front of a computer and expect them to pay attention and learn. I appreciate what you guys have done and the fact that you just kept pushing.”

Compton offered special praise for “the guys with trash collection.”

“Every time I show up out there those guys are out there making an effort to help people unload stuff at both collection sites. Little things like that in customer service – it makes a difference,” he said.

Bopp agreed, saying he believes Sweet is “doing great job.”

“When everyone else quit, you and your staff kept going,” he said.

For his part, Sweet said he appreciates the accolades, but it has truly been a team effort.

“I know of countless stories of county staff stepping up and just going so above and beyond the call of duty. They felt led knowing that this is our community and we’re the local government and who else is going to do these things, and how important they were to do. So, I really commend all the staff,” Sweet said.

He had praise, too for the supervisors.

“I look at five elected officials around this table who don’t make a living at doing what you do and are willing to take risks with us and are really willing to have confidence in your team to do what we needed to do and giving us a lot of that autonomy. It helped us be nimble and responsive and really tackle a lot of those issues that were unprecedented, quite frankly.  A lot of other communities just ‘turtled in,’” he said.

“We will look back on 2020 as an extraordinary year,” Guthrie said. “I think it will transform us in ways we never would have imagined. I’m excited about some of the transformations that will take place as a result. Some of the things we have accomplished this year that we could not have accomplished for it not for CARES Act funding for example. Things where we’ve had an increased emphasis such as our broadband initiative that we’re completing far and away before we ever thought we could. If we had thought a year ago, we’d be this far along on broadband we’d have been shocked. And here we are.”

Guthrie said he wants to see the county “continue the momentum we have now and build upon things.”

Anthony Akers, Assistant County Administrator, told board members morale among county staff is at “an all-time high.”

He said employees are always expressing their thanks to county leadership.

Guthrie said the supervisors and county administration is “very grateful for all the work done by staff.”

“We are glad we were able to help provide hazard duty pay and bonuses to all the people who did more to earn them,” Guthrie said.

Akers noted county employees are not just appreciative of the monetary, but also “the sense that you care about them.”

“We do,” stated Guthrie. “That is real and genuine and we’re glad that is coming across. It’s good to know.”

By MIKE WILLIAMS, The Patriot