Ken Westmoreland says he is ready for the challenge.

When Jackson County’s new manager starts work Aug. 1, he will lead a transition from an elected manager to a hired one. In 1980 when he began a 10-year stint as the administrator for Spartanburg County in South Carolina, he faced a similar situation.

“I’m somewhat familiar with what they are going through. In 1980 South Carolina began what is known as home rule, and I was the first appointed administrator for Spartanburg County,” Westmoreland, 56, said from his office in Greer, S.C., where he is currently executive director of the Greater Greer Development Corporation, a non-profit economic development group.

Westmoreland has spent the last 28 years in local government in South Carolina in a variety of positions. Now, however, he is ready to move out of the upstate and into the mountains. The position in Jackson County was appealing for several reasons, he said.

“I’ve spent most of my career in local government service, so I’m oriented to that type of work,” he said.

Also, he is familiar with Jackson and the surrounding area. His oldest son graduated from Western Carolina University and his youngest son is currently a student at Brevard College. He and his family are also avid outdoors lovers who like to hike, canoe and camp, he said.

“There is a natural attraction to the area for us,” he said.

Jackson County’s recent decision to go to full-time county manager seemed to show a progressive attitude, he said. Also, the desire by county leaders to bring high-paying jobs to the area “intrigued” him.

Westmoreland said his integrity was his “stock and trade,” and that belief led to what he described as his only “negative” event in his career in local government.

In December 1999 Westmoreland filed a libel suit against the local newspaper, the Greer Citizen. The suit was dropped within a month.

According to Westmoreland, the libel case stemmed from actions surrounding a land deal between the city and private developers who were going to build 50 apartment units to be used as housing for the elderly. He had been instructed to negotiate with the developer, but right before the meeting where the transaction was going to be finalized, one council member suggested switching to another developer, Westmoreland said. That council member was on the board of the firm he suggested the town switch to, according to Westmoreland.

Westmoreland said that would have been a bad-faith effort on the city’s part, but the council member who suggested the switch had the votes and it was approved. The newspaper, Westmoreland said, reported that he had negotiated the land transfer to sell the property without the proper authority and in violation of open meeting laws. After the town provided the newspaper with tapes of all discussions, it printed a retraction stating that Westmoreland was not in the wrong. The suit was dropped then, he said. Once other members of the town council returned from vacations, the contract was awarded to the original company and apartments were built.

“To the best of my knowledge, that is only negative case I have been involved in,” Westmoreland said. “And I am one of the few public officials who can say I was never misquoted.”

Westmoreland was offered the job during a closed session on June 27 and was approved by a 3-2 vote. Current manager Jay Denton and Commissioner Franz Whitmire voted against hiring him. Denton said the vote was not against Westmoreland but was in support of the current system and for someone who knew more about Jackson County.

Of the three finalists for the job, two others dropped out of consideration. Chris Rath, the town administrator in Auburn, Mass., took another position and skipped the interview in Jackson County. Shelby Assistant Manager Hal Mason asked that his name be withdrawn from consideration for the job.

 

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