Don Adams, who comes to the job following 19 years as Alleghany County’s manager, started work Aug. 1, taking over from outgoing manager Chuck Wooten. Wooten, who held the manager’s job for five years, retired from the position June 30. 

“I’m very pleased with his service so far,” Commission Chairman Brian McMahan said of Adams. “I think we made a good choice and I’m very appreciative and supportive of the style of leadership he offers.”

For now, Adams is working on getting settled in — meeting with department heads, visiting various county facilities and generally getting up to speed with what’s going on in Jackson’s county government. But when commissioners hold their regular work session on Aug. 16, McMahan said, they’ll discuss their priorities for how Adams should direct his efforts going forward. 

Along with welcoming Adams, commissioners gave a big thank you to County Attorney Heather Baker, who served as interim county manager in the gap between Wooten’s retirement and Adams’ arrival. They underscored their verbal gratitude with a vote last week to grant Baker a $2,000 bonus for the after-hours meetings she’d attended and other duties she’d taken on — in addition to her regular job as county attorney — while filling the interim role. 

“We felt like we ought to more than just thank her verbally,” McMahan said.