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April 24, 2008

Herriage to be replaced by son as utilities director

Malakoff co-city administrator to take over Athens post July 1

By Lauren Ricks

The Athens City Council’s selection to replace retiring Director of Utilities Don Herriage has a familiar name.

Don knows the guy pretty well, too.

The council met in special session Wednesday and named Herriage’s son, Glen, to succeed his father in the position.

Don recently announced his retirement effective June 13.

Glen, 44, was unanimously confirmed by the council.

“I feel grateful,” he said. “He’s going to leave some mighty big boots to fill, but I think I can fill them.”

City Administrator Pam Burton said the new director’s “approximate start date” will be July 1.

According to Burton, six city directors made up the panel and went through the applications to hire for the position.

“The last couple of weeks, and actually couple of months, we have been looking at applicants for the position of director of utilities,” she said.

Burton said Glen was chosen over 10 other applicants because of his experience and qualifications. He currently serves as Malakoff’s co-city administrator and has the highest attainable “AA” water and wastewater license in Texas, Burton said.

Terry Thompson, the supervisor over the state occupational licensing division, said that level license is only held by about 275 people in the state. There are 14,000 Public Water Supply Operators and 11,000 Waste Water Treatment Operators, according to Thompson.

Thompson said the “AA” licensing is “pretty prestigious.”

“I would like to do the very best I can to increase the public knowledge of utilities and gain their trust,” Glen said.

He said he applied for the job because he started his career in Athens. He said he began working in Athens in 1988 as a line maintenance technician.

“I was working in the ditches,” he said. “I worked for Athens for six-and-a-half years.”

In 1994, he was employed by the city as wastewater treatment foreman.

In May of 1994, he began working with Texas Department of Criminal Justice as a maintenance supervisor at Tennessee Colony.

Four years later, he returned to municipal government in Malakoff. He began as the plant operator in the city’s wastewater treatment plant. In 2006, he took position as co-city administrator.

Glen said his duties included managing and overseeing the activities and operations of all city departments and coordinate and assign activities with other outside agencies.

“I wear a lot of hats here in Malakoff,” he said. “It will be nice to get back into more generalized job responsibilities.”

“I live in Athens and I want to get back home,” he said.

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