The attitude around the Jackson County manager’s office - at least for the two years I’ve been covering it - has been just slightly different than that of any other in Western North Carolina. There was more of an openness, a sort of “drop on by anytime” attitude that was tied closely to elected County Manager Jay Denton’s outgoing personality. That was good for the citizens of Jackson County and the reporters covering county government.

Now, Denton has left his post. He is still chairman of the county board, but it remains to be seen if that office remains as accessible to the people it is supposed to serve as it is now.

Right up to the end, Denton couldn’t bring himself to believe county commissioners would replace him with a hired manager. He said so himself, thinking that his handling of this year’s budget crisis and other issues showed that the county was being managed well. But the ax fell, swift and sure, and Denton finds himself without a full-time job.

Jackson County has joined the rest of the state, opting for a hired “professional” county manager. So on June 29 Denton walked out of the job citizens elected him to about two and one-half years ago.

Here’s the rub - he has done a hell of a job as county manager, as good as any of the “professionals” I’ve covered in 15 years as a reporter. It’s a case of someone doing their job well but getting pushed aside for what most perceive as a greater good.

The game of politics is rough and tumble, and Denton knows that as well as anyone. He knew going in that voters might abolish his job. Eight years years ago Jackson County’s citizens said in a referendum they wanted to keep the elected county manager position. But a Republican board of commissioners didn’t agree, and a few years later went ahead and hired a manager. Democrats sued, but eventually the Republican board that wanted to hire a manager prevailed in court.

But the current board ran with the promise to re-install the elected manager and then let voters decide the issue again.

The tide had turned, with many thinking Jackson was missing the attributes a professional is supposed to bring - a vast knowledge of bureaucratic agencies and fiscal policies, of personnel matters and legal maneuvering. The referendum last November showed citizens - by a 3-2 margin - wanted a professional manager.

More important than what a professional would bring to the job, perhaps, is what many hoped would disappear when the influence of politics leaves the county manager’s office. No more political patronage, no more fear of how this recommendation or that hiring decision would be interpreted by voters. The excesses of politics would disappear. A non-elected manager could work as a nonpartisan professional for all the citizens of Jackson County, not just those who supported him or her politically. I agree with that concept, and over the long run I believe about any county will be better off with a non-elected manager.

Before I started covering Jackson County, I had heard often about it being the last county with an elected manager. I wondered how some local activist was supposed to run a $40 million a year enterprise? It sounded like a recipe for disaster.

But Denton threw himself into the job and learned so much and tried so hard that it was easy to forget that not too long ago he was a school teacher. The $32 million capital improvements plan he and the current board shepherded through required the kind of skill normally associated with one of those professionals. Sure, Denton had the help of long-time finance officer Darlene Fox, and he readily gives her and other staff members credit. But his own part in this plan, and other issues, showed his smarts and ability.

As for bringing politics into the office, Denton did an admirable job of masking his yellow dog Democratic roots. He wasn’t shy about proclaiming his political affiliations, and said in an interview this week that it was “crazy” to think that anyone was ever going to get politics out of the courthouse. But he didn’t let that interfere with his work. Denton was proud to tout his record of hiring Democrats and Republicans alike, of looking out for all citizens of Jackson County.

In many ways Denton is a rare bird in politics these days - honest, candid and comfortable operating without a script. Call and ask him about something and there’s a good chance your fax machine would soon be filled with background information.

He was anything but a poster boy for the last elected county manager in this state. Instead of showcasing the weaknesses and excesses that such a system can descend to, he accomplished the opposite — at its best, an elected manager could handle the bureaucratic aspects of the job efficiently while responding to the public with a politician’s mentality. In short, he did a good job.

(Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com)

 

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