By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
Rob Franxman, newly appointed Assistant County Administrator for Boone County, announced Tuesday night at the regular Fiscal Court meeting that the new Director of Public Works position will be filled by Thomas Logan.
“We advertised for the position early in June,” Franxman said of the position that used to be his. “We received 20 applications, and with the help of Matthew Webster and Lori Zombeck we pared that list down to five folks, 3 internal and 2 external.”
He said that during the interview process, it became obvious that Tom Logan’s skills would fit well into Public Works and into Boone County as a whole.
Franxman said that Logan is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and is a licensed professional engineer. He spent nearly ten years in the city of Covington, and spearheaded the Fleet Parts procurement method that Boone County modeled their method after.
Logan spent 8 years with Toyota expanding their plants on different campuses.
“Ultimately Tom felt the draw back to local small government, and felt like it was time that made sense for his family to come and make that change,” said Franxman. “Tom and I have quite a lot of similar experiences, but at the same time we’ve worked on a lot of different things as well. I think ultimately our skills and experiences are going to compliment each other amazingly well. I think Tom’s going to help the continued evolution and the advancement of the department of Public Works.”
Commissioners made a motion and a second for the appointment of Logan. Commissioner Chet Hand asked if the three candidates that were in-house were advised on how they can fare better in the interview process next time, and Zombeck said they were all counseled for succession planning.
Hand also wanted to know why Logan decided to come back to government after being in the public sector.
“My very first experience with Public Works started at the age of 18,” said Logan. “That was in my hometown of Harlan in rural south east Kentucky. I was given the opportunity to do winterization programs for low income families. The wisdom that I have been able to gain at my age now, I am able to look back and see that I truly had a real passion for what I was doing. I can see the immediate rewards that I was giving not only to those people but also to my entire community that I lived in.”
He said they really did a lot of great things in the city of Covington and worked on a lot of worthwhile programs while he was there, but he said the big difference that he sees is that he lives in Boone County, and to be able to make a difference in this community is what he considers an honor and a privilege.
Hand inquired further, asking what he wanted to do with the job.
Logan said innovation is key and he is always looking for ways to improve upon the sustainability of the resources they provide and the constituency they provide it to.
He said he wants to constantly measure how they are doing as a department, and the last 8 years have made him more keenly aware of customer service. He wants to look for ways to constantly improve upon their methods.
Logan said he felt like this was the right time, and the right place for he and his family.
“We look forward to working with you and continue to move this community forward,” said Judge Executive Gary Moore.
Interesting article. I will ask my representative why we needed a new position filled.