The Village of St. Joseph Board of Trustees approved the hire of Joseph Hackney as Village Administrator Tuesday night.
Hackney has been the City Administrator in Valley Falls, Kansas, a town with a population of 1,039 (2019)since June 2019.
St. Joseph Mayor Tami Fruling-Voges said that of 10 applicants, 4 were interviewed via Zoom. The final two candidates came to St. Joseph for an in-person interview.
SJO Daily obtained a Nov. 2020 copy of Hackney’s resume via flaglerlive.com, a news organization that covers Flagler Beach, Fla.
His cover letter reads: “My time working in local government has resulted in experiences which will help me excel in this position. During my three years working in local government, I have been given the responsibility of supporting City Management by spearheading the restructuring of areas of an organization which need attention. This has led to assuming the position of City Administrator of Valley Falls, Kansas. I’ve been placed in the position to lead an organization through a federally declared disaster, and political turmoil, while still advancing my professional goal of making the organization more effective and able to provide better service to the community. In addition to this, the organization has had significant development accomplishments in the midst of an uncertain economy.”
Prior to becoming the City Administrator in Valley Falls, Hackney interned as a public information officer with the City of Warrensburg from May 2018 to June 2019.
According to the Village Administrator contract provided by Fruhling-Voges, Hackney will make $75,000 annually. As the first Administrator in St. Joseph, his responsibilities will include enforce and execute the board’s policies, give recommendations to the board, prepare the annual budget and prepare contracts, among other duties.
Hackney will begin work on July 26, pending review of his fingerprints.
“St. Joseph proved to be the best fit for St. Joseph. His character, passion for local government and experience in team leadership were all qualities that we were looking for to help move the village to the next level,” Village President Tami Fruhling-Voges stated.
