Dateline: October 23, 2008

City Hall gets new leadership

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

A new city administrator will be on the job at Clarendon’s City Hall next Monday morning.

John Webb accepted the position Tuesday morning and is coming to Clarendon from the City of Borger where he retired after serving there as municipal judge and as assistant police chief.

“I’m really looking forward to being in Clarendon,” Webb said. “I’m looking forward to citizens coming in, and I want to hear their views.”

Webb has 28 years of experience with the City of Borger and recently completed 26 months of service in Afghanistan with the US Army. His military service was the subject of an October 16 article in the Amarillo Globe-News, which described how he helped establish the criminal intelligence section of the Afghan police force.

Webb holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix and has four grown kids, and his wife’s name is Debbie.

The new administrator says his initial goals for Clarendon will be to bring the city into compliance with government and labor codes and to make the community safer for all citizens.

“Let’s make Clarendon the best it can be,” he said.

The city administrator’s position has been vacant since 2005 following Sean Pate’s resignation. The Board of Aldermen hired interim administrator Phyllis Jeffers three months ago to deal with a financial crisis at City Hall and began the search for a new fulltime administrator shortly thereafter.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed being here,” Jeffers told the Enterprise. “I think the board has done an excellent job selecting the new administrator.”

Webb also thinks highly of Jeffers.

“She has done an tremendous job in a short time,” Webb said.