With Scott Andrews announcing his departure this week, the city of Covington is now in the market for a new city manager, and who they select could bear great significance on the city’s future.

Since he arrived in late 2019, Andrews served as the city government’s CEO and did a tremendous job. As Mayor Steve Horton recently told The News, he brought a fresh perspective to Covington. He not only was at the forefront of the city’s operation, but he also played a key role in the growth of Covington’s tourism and economic development. In addition, Andrews led several community-driven initiatives centered around the arts and working to bring the people of Covington together.

In just a short time, Andrews made a sizable impact on where Covington is today. But now, the question is, who will step up to take his place, and how will they build on this progress? 

Or, is there a new path to be charted? 

Is there a different issue or topic that needs more focus? (It’s hard to imagine another area of concern bigger that growth, but hey, there could be one out there.)

The answers to these questions will come from the city council. Frankly, choosing the next city manager rests on the government body’s six members’ shoulders.

It’s expected to be a similar process to the last time a city manager was hired. Andrews was picked to work in an interim role by the council before becoming the permanent hire. In talks with Horton, he said he believed the council would do the same thing, but again, that decision is on the council.

The pool of candidates is expected to be broad. When initially hiring an assistant city manager in 2020, there were 70 applicants and half were from out of state. It would be no shock to see an applicant pool much, much larger for the leading role, if not doubled. 

Whatever happens, whoever is selected, residents can rest assured that council members and anyone else involved in the hiring process is going to seek out the best candidates. Because while there may be differing opinions among leaders on an array of issues, one thing is always certain: they want only the best for our community.

Our View on the Issue is an opinion of The Covington News editorial board, which includes Editor and Publisher Taylor Beck and News Editor Tom Spigolon.