Ken Nickel

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

The Granite Shoals City Council will meet in a special session Wednesday, March 7, to make arrangements for administration of the city without city manager Ken Nickel.

Since Nickel resigned verbally during the council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 27, no advance preparation had been made signatories or a search process for an interim, or new, city manager. That work will take place Wednesday and until then assistant city manager Peggy Smith will serve as interim CM.

The council did take action last Tuesday on two major projects Nickel has shepherded forward for the city—road improvement bonds and annexation.

The issuance of the $3 million in road bonds was approved by ordinance. The money, approved by voters in November 2016 and again in November 2017, should be available on March 21.

Granite Shoals City Manager Ken Nickel resigned during Tuesday night's regular city council meeting, ending a nearly five-year tenure as the city's administrative head.

Nickel's resignation was accepted by the council, effective at the end of business Wednesday, Feb. 28. Mayor Carl Brugger announced the resignation in a press release Wednesday morning.

Nickel joined the city of Granite Shoals in the fall of 2010 as the city's finance director. He was promoted to city manager in July 2013, succeeding Marvin Townsend and guiding the city to several benchmark accomplishments.

Council members will now begin the search for the city's sixth city manager since 2006, when John Gayle first took the position. Others who have served in that position include John Hatchel and Judy Miller.

Granite Shoals City Manager Ken Nickel has confirmed the city has placed Police Chief J.P. Wilson on administrative leave, but has no further comment on the nature of the leave.

Nickel and other city officials have told The Highlander several times during the past two weeks that Wilson is still the chief of police in Granite Shoals and has not been terminated by the city and remains a paid employee. In his absence, command of the city's police force has shifted to Capt. Gary Boshears.

Wilson has served as the police chief of Granite Shoals for 13 years. He recently ran for sheriff of Burnet County, but failed to make the runoff election.

The entire staff of the City of Granite Shoals has worked toward the 50th Year Bash that takes place Saturday and Sunday, April 23 and April 24, but Finance Director Wendy Gholson has been the staff lisison to the 50th Anniversary Committee, and responsible particularly for coordinating more than 40 booths of crafts and food for the event.

She is part of a seven-member administrative staff you will meet at the weekend festivities.