By Sammy Yates
Lexington City Council appointed a new city manager for the first time in 24 years Thursday evening. The Council called a special meeting to vote unanimously to appoint Noah Simon, currently assistant county manager in Floyd County, Ga.
Simon will replace Jon Ellestad, who will retire at the end of this month. Simon will begin his duties Oct. 27. City Finance Director Gary Swink will serve as interim city manager meanwhile.
Simon praised the council and expressed great admiration for Ellestad.
“I am honored and humbled that they put that trust in me to be their next [city] manager,” Simon said. “I know I have big shoes to fill.”
City Council Member Marylin E. Alexander said it has been a long and arduous selection process. She said the real work began when a pool of 41 candidates was narrowed to 10. Alexander said the final stages of the search came as the council was also trying to finish an unpopular budget and secure funding for a new Waddell Elementary School.
“I felt strongly that it would be easier down the road to defend the time we invested to do our best to get it right, rather than ever trying to defend a swift process and getting it wrong,” Alexander said.
Mayor Mimi Elrod said it was an exciting night for the council, one the members had been looking forward to for months.
Simon has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Emory University in Atlanta and a master’s degree in public policy from American University in Washington, D.C. Neither the city nor Simon could provide a full resume at the meeting, but Simon proudly described his 15 years of experience in local government.
Before his two and a half years in Floyd County, Ga., Simon held local government positions in Texas, Minnesota and Maryland. He also worked as assistant town manager in Culpeper, Va. from 2004 to 2007.
“I am anxious to get here and make Lexington my home,” he said. “Ever since I left Virginia it has been my goal to return. This was just the perfect opportunity and a wonderful community to do that.”