Gwinnett County Administrator Jock Connell announced Wednesday he will step down at the end of the year.
Glenn Stephens, current director of the county’s Planning and Development Department, has been named as Connell’s replacement. Stephens, an attorney, came to the county 11 years ago.
Connell, 51, said he and his wife, Tina, concluded several months ago that he would not stay on beyond his current contract, which runs through 2010. One of the chief factors in this decision, he said, was the potential for new leadership after the 2010 election. Two commissioners, Bert Nasuti and Keven Kenerly, are up for re-election next year.
“With that possible outcome out there, and knowing I wasn’t going to stay after 2010, I felt like the best thing to do at this time was go ahead and step out at the end of this year and provide for an orderly transition plan,” Connell said.
Connell joins other key officials in the department, including deputy administrator Mike Comer and assistant administrator Lisa Johnsa, who have announced they are leaving.
The county announced last month it will trim its 4,900-member work force by 250 by year’s end. Those employees eligible for early retirement were to be offered a severance package.
Connell said he is not accepting any of the retirement incentives offered to other employees.
“I feel incredibly blessed and honored to have had this job,” he said. “It’s been the job of a lifetime.”
The county administrator serves at the pleasure of the five-member commission and is charged with the day-to-day operation of government functions. He can hire and fire department heads and set their salaries.
Connell came to Gwinnett County in 1986 as risk manager/deputy director of finance. He also served as assistant director and director of Financial Services, and deputy county administrator/COO under Charlotte Nash.
His contract pays $234,090 a year in salary.
Connell called his working relationship with Commission Chairman Charles Bannister positive, adding that the chairman has always treated him with respect and courtesy.
“Throughout his career here,” Bannister said, “Jock has been a part of the core management team that has guided the county through its most dynamic and challenging period of growth and to a solid triple AAA bond rating.”
During Connell’s five-year tenure, Gwinnett County implemented a new stormwater utility, opened 12 new parks, renovated or expanded 17 parks, opened two new libraries, opened five new fire stations and relocated another five.
The county also added 522 police officers and sheriff’s deputies, opened three police precincts, resurfaced 375 miles of roads, began construction on the Sugarloaf Parkway extension and partnered with the state to widen Ga. 20 and Ga. 120 and complete the I-85/Ga. 316 interchange.
Connell said he plans to take some time off to regroup and chart a future course. He and his wife have two grown children.
He said he has mixed feelings about the move.
“The job is stressful. There’s a lot of weight on you. It is not an 8-to-5 job. It’s seven days a week. It’s 24 hours a day. It’s Thanksgivings. It’s Christmases. It’s holidays. It’s the middle of the night.
“And to some degree, those stresses are the same things that create the excitement about the job also.”
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