With over 20 candidates applying for the position of city manager for Elizabethton, officials have finally made their decision.

A month of deliberation wrapped up during Thursday’s City Council meeting as members unanimously voted to name Daniel Estes the new city manager. Estes was the lone recommendation, made by Councilman Wes Frazier.

Estes, of Jefferson County, will hit the ground running June 1 and comes to the city after previously serving as the assistant town administrator of Collierville from October 2016 until April of this year. The position was eliminated due to budget cuts from the town.

Estes received his bachelor’s degree from Tusculum College, majoring in political science and having a minor in mass media. Along with a law degree from the Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Estes also earned a master’s degree in public policy and administration from the University of Tennessee. The new city manager also has the background of being an attorney and certified municipal finance officer.

“I’m honored by the Council’s decision,” Estes told the Elizabethton Star over the phone following Thursday’s meeting. “I appreciate their support and look forward to this opportunity.”

Estes added he had the opportunity to view the area during the interview process and that he fell in love with the city, with it drawing comparison to Jefferson County. He added he had the chance to meet with department heads during the interview process and that he’s looking forward to working with them soon.

“We’re excited about the move to Elizabethton,” he said about the move with his family. “I believe it will be a great fit and we’re excited.”

Thursday’s announcement was one of the toughest decisions to make over the past 14 years, according to City Mayor Curt Alexander.

“A couple of things we really wanted to focus on was a master’s degree in public administration or public management and either some city manager or assistant city manager experience,” Alexander said.

Officials narrowed their search down to three candidates with those requirements, according to the mayor – Estes, Glenn Rosenoff and Emily Wood. Jon Hartman, who has served in the interim as city manager since Jerome Kitchens’ retirement April 6, was also part of the final four. Hartman has worked with the city for nearly 10 years and currently serves as the Director of Planning and Economic Development for Elizabethton.

“We know what a quality candidate he is, even though he didn’t meet the education or experience requirement. We knew he was a tremendous candidate that we needed to speak with because we do think he is a tremendous asset to the city,” Alexander said.

“When it was all said and done, it was a very, very tough decision, but we had to fall back on what our original goal was, and that was (for a candidate to have) a master’s degree with some city manager experience,” he added.

Once Estes officially takes over the position, Alexander added Council will make the recommendation implementing an assistant city manager position for Hartman – to gather experience as a city manager.

“We’re encouraging him to finish up his master’s degree,” Alexander said. “(The goal would be) to ease some of the burden off of the city manager and let the assistant city manager handle that, that way he’s getting his education and experience at the same time.

“He’s going to be a great city manager someday, somewhere, and we’d love for it to be here,” Alexander said about Hartman. “He’s young, he’s very energetic and very smart. He’s got a long career ahead of him and he’ll do what it takes to complete what it requires to be a city manager. I have no doubt about that.”