John CoffeltEditor

The Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted 4-0 at the April 2 meeting to offer an employment contract for Director of Water and Sewer to Jeffery Perry of Brownsville, Tennessee.

Perry, the only finalist for the position interviewed during a work session held prior to the meeting. His salary request was $100,000 per year.

Perry has 18 years’ experience in the utility field. He has obtained a water distribution plant license, was in the military for six years and was a railroad engineer and conductor with CSX Railroad until an injury forced a change back to utilities.

“I know the utility business, front and back,” he told the board when asked why the city should hire him. “I’m good at my job. You’re going to get the best out of me, if you decide to go with me.”

Perry served as a manager for Alliance Water Resources and has experience in project management to water plant manager.

“I’m the type of person that if my guys are working on a water leak, I’m going to be right there with them,” Perry said.

“I know some of what the problems are with the wastewater,” he said. “My first order of business would be to look at what’s causing these problems and get them fixed.”

Perry, who has long experience working for a privatized water company cautioned the board, when asked in a tangent question, that corporate business prioritizes profits over effective management. As a manager, his staff was reduced down to three, himself and two meter readers. Perry told the board he would have to pull those meter readers off their jobs to help fix water leaks.

Brownsville is near the Blue Oval megasite near Memphis. Perry said that he watched his small town develop into a large urban area in a short time.

“The dynamic of my town and the surrounding towns have totally changed,” he said.

Most of the new faces are of union workers who are only in the area for a few months.

“A lot of the surrounding towns are nowhere near prepared with their infrastructure for what’s coming,” he said. “A lot of them are behind the 8-ball. I only know of one mayor in that area that is on top of it.”

Perry said he could begin work in three to four weeks after being offered a position.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.