Who is Rob Hites?

[Forum Member]

Rob Hites is the Waynesville Town Manager. He is hired by the Waynesville Board of Aldermen. The Town Manager can also be fired by the Aldermen.

Rob Hites just got a raise as evidenced by a public record item on the January 2023 Aldermen meeting. So is the Town of Waynesville doing well enough and in the right direction that our Town Manager should be rewarded for it?

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When the Town Manager started his employment by the town, he was asked what he would do in his first days. It's telling that he understands his role as a professional manager by meeting with the "departments". But what's also telling is he makes a special point to call out he wants to know the directors of the area NGOs or non-government organizations also affectionately known as "the non-profits".

SMN: What are you looking forward to on your first day of work? Or first week?
RH: In the first few days, I look forward to getting to spend time with the mayor and the board, getting to know the departments and the directors of the area NGOs, the economic development folks, people in the community.

https://smokymountainnews.com/archives/ ... ew-heights

So what to watch for is if the elected Aldermen take advice and direction from the Town Manager or the constituents. Very few of our voters are asking for more affordable housing and expecting those many affordable housing developments now underway. Yet you have the elected people echoing the same thing as the local papers and the town manager and the Planning department like a parrot, "Braaaaaak! We need affordable housing. Braaaak!" There's your tell. Elected people trying to manipulate the voters rather than represent them. That's going to turn the voter's attention to Rob Hites.

It was 2016 when Waynesville decidedly ended a Town Manager contract:
https://wlos.com/news/local/waynesville ... s-contract

It should also be noted that the Waynesville Planning Director of today was hired by the Town Manager of 2016.

It should also be noted that the current Board voted to end Bill Cannon's role as the town attorney in part for seemingly carrying his political views into the town meetings:
https://twitter.com/attybcannon?lang=en

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The issue here is not to say how we constituents don't like a Town Manager, a Planning Director, or a Town Attorney. The issue is for the constituents to know that we elect people to get the right Town Manager and Town Attorney into their roles and expect them to do well as the voters see it.

It's very possible for Waynesville to have the wrong Town Attorney or Town Manager. It's happened in recent times. When that happens, the voters elect people who will boldly address that problem.