It took the Fernandina Beach City Commission just over two hours to name Ty Ross, current city manager of Loudon, Tennessee as the new city manager of the city. The decision comes seven months after the commission terminated city manager Dale Martin.
The 5-0 vote came after commissioners held private one-on-one interviews and then public interviews at a special meeting with the four finalists for the job.
"The guy who really stood out for me was Mr. Ross," said Mayor Bradley Bean. "He speaks so well and I feel he has a good grasp of what makes our city great."
Ross was also the top pick of Vice Mayor David Sturges and commissioners Darron Ayscue and Chip Ross. Commissioner James Antun had Lee Smith number one with Ross second.
"It's not that difficult for me as well, Ty Ross is my top choice," Sturges said. "I think he will do very well in our city environment. He will be fair and honest with our citizens."
The next step is for the city administration to negotiate an employment contract with Ross for the job. That contract will require approval by the city commission. Ross' current salary is $175,000. The city has budgeted a cap of $230,000 for the new city manager position.
"I am humbled and honored by this appointment," Ross told the Observer. "I feel I can use my many attributes to meet the challenges facing Fernandina Beach. I think we're going to have a nice run together."
Ross, 49, said there were a lot of moving parts in making the transition from Loudon to Fernandina Beach.
"Frankly, this is so fresh I can't begin to determine a timeline for making the move to Fernandina Beach," Ross said. The timeline must be a fit for both parties."
Ross said his wife Jennifer's reaction to hearing the news was "she is my biggest fan and she expected as much from me."
Ross was third in the pecking order of addressing the commission and answering questions.
"I've been in this business for 15 years and there's not a lot I haven't seen in terms of challenges here, they're shared by a lot of communities. They're certainly not insurmountable," Ross said in his opening statement. "I'm not intimidated or hesitant to take on any of the challenges you have, I look forward to it. I hope to be here a long, long time."
Ross has been the City Manager for Loudon, Tennessee (population 6,733) since 2017. The riverfront city has a $90 million budget and 150 employees.
Previously, he served as the City Administrator for Dalton, Georgia (population 33,644) for seven years.
Executive search firm Colin Basnziger said in its report "Ross’ management style is humanistic and focuses on employees’
needs. His three main tenets are to protect others, protect yourself, and serve. He is proud of his leading role in securing over a dozen acres of formerly dilapidated factories on Loudon’s downtown waterfront. The solution he designed and implemented with staff cleared all environmental hurdles and enabled the demolition and clearing of the property which opened clear lake views. What is more, he was able to rebrand a factory’s former water tower into a dramatic welcome sign that announces to all visitors they have arrived at a special place. The project remains exceedingly successful and, though somewhat stalled by COVID-19, is well positioned for both residential and mixed-use commercial development in the coming
months.
Ross has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Georgia, a juris doctorate from Georgia State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Kennesaw State University.
Ross faced controversy in 2019 when he was suspended pending an investigation by the city of his handling of a feral cats colony at an abandoned factory that resulted in some of the cats being euthanized after being trapped by city employees.
He was reinstated two weeks later.
"What I learned is that you don't do hard stuff alone," Ross said of the incident. "I should have called code enforcement because it was a code enforcement issue."
When asked by Commissioner Ross why the city should hire him, Ty ross said "I'm the right person at the right time to help lead this community to the future. This would be my third city manager (job) and the third time is a charm because you'll benefit from all my experience. I bring with me work in similar sized communities with similar sized budgets."
Ross said his experience also includes managing an electric department and a natural gas department.
He said he had studied the city budget and capital improvement plan, all of which Ross said he has managed in the past.
"Lastly, when my wife saw the Fernandina Beach job posting, she told me go get it," Ross quipped drawing chuckles from those in the commission meeting room.
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