Candidate Profile: Bill Morgan

By Charles Oliver
Dalton Daily Citizen

October 25, 2008 10:58 pm

— Bill Morgan says service to the city and citizens of Varnell is in his blood.
Morgan, the son of former Varnell city judge and city manager Ralph Morgan, says he grew up volunteering for the city.
Morgan retired as Varnell’s chief probation officer earlier this year. He will face retired educator Jim Anderson and businessman Dan Peeples in the Nov. 4 election for mayor of Varnell. The winner of that race will fill the unexpired term of former mayor Lindsey Metcalf, who stepped down earlier this year. That term ends at the end of 2009.
Varnell has an annual budget of about $670,000. It has seven full-time employees and six part-time.
A graduate of Northwest Whitfield High School, Morgan has three stepchildren with his wife Wilma: Eric, Tara and Jesse. He worked in construction, as a firefighter and, for more than 17 years, as a purchasing agent for World Carpet before being hired by the city as chief probation officer in 2001.
While that was his official title, Morgan wore a number of hats during that time. He also supervised community service workers, oversaw city maintenance and sanitation, and was director of the Varnell Emergency Management Agency.
But even before he officially began working for the city, Morgan says he volunteered 20-40 hours a week.
Morgan also served on the City Council from 1989-1991. He recalls that time fondly.
“They had $35,000 in the bank account. They didn’t have any services other than street lights, I think,” he said.
But during that time, he says, the city started a number of services, including sanitation. His father drove the truck and then-Mayor Metcalf and he rode the back, picking up trash.
“We did it for two years without a Saturday off. We never missed a Saturday, the three of us,” he said. “We finally got to the point we could hire a driver. Eventually, we got to the point we could hire two people to put on the back. Now, we are up to two trucks and six employees.”
The City Council has voted to abandon the current City Hall because some members are concerned about mold and other problems. They plan to move into temporary facilities soon while they make long-term plans about City Hall’s future.
“I’ve never been opposed to a new City Hall,” Morgan said. “I just believe there’s a way, a format to go at it. First, we need to be looking for a piece of property everybody can agree on. If that’s what the mayor and council want to do, and if that’s what the people want to do. Second, we need to see if there’s any money available through grants or through the state. Phase three is the type of building you want to have.”
But Morgan says he’d like to salvage the current City Hall.
“If nothing else, it will make a great building for meetings, possibly a senior center. I don’t think we need to do away with the building,” he said. “We need to look at the most important things, the roof, the mold, see if we can get a grip on those first and see if it’s going to be economical for us to do that.”