Four finalists on list for new Grovetown position

Nearly two years after Grovetown officials agreed to expand their city government by creating a city administrator position, the list of applicants has been narrowed to four finalists.

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The job description was finalized by the spring and the CSRA Regional Development Center accepted nearly 20 applications by the June 15 deadline from people hoping to become Grovetown's first city administrator.

A city search committee further screened applicants and provided a list of five finalists for the position to the mayor and city council at Monday's semimonthly city council meeting.

"We hope to start interviewing the end of September or the first part of October," said Mayor Dennis Trudeau, who will not be seeking reelection as mayor when his term expires at the end of the year. "I'd like to tell them where the rocks are and what's on the horizon."

City Clerk Shirley Beasley said that of the five finalists, one has already accepted another position.

The four finalists are Harmit Bedi, the deputy director for the Metropolitan Planning Commission Office in Chatham County; Brian McDougal, the city manager for Remerton, Ga.; Thomas Paradise, a member of the Aiken Planning Department; and Robert Sherman III, the director of Augusta-Richmond County's License and Inspection Department.

Beasley said that as of Friday, she had contacted all the finalists except Sherman to confirm they are still interested in the position and to set up interviews with the mayor and city council.

When hired, the city administrator will take over much of the day-to-day operations of the city and take over many duties now performed by Beasley and Trudeau, such as writing local, state and federal grant applications and attending meetings.