Elizabethton’s City Manager Daniel Estes has only been on the job slightly over a year and he is already making major contributions as evidenced by the results from a city manager 2019 evaluation conducted by William Hardy, a consultant from the state group Municipal Task Advisory Service (MTAS).

The evaluation, which canvassed all seven of the city council members, used a one to five scale, with five being considered the highest.

The evaluation reads that Estes ranked the highest by achieving 4.9 in multiple areas, such as: “understands and identifies with the basic goals, philosophy, and values of the city organization; considers several alternatives before making a decision; has a genuine concern for people within the organization; has a positive attitude toward the public, and, produces high quality work.”

The evaluation also includes comments from some of the council members.

One such comment reads, “…I rated extremely high [on the evaluation]. Daniel is an asset to the city. A pleasure to work with. Good first impression and good relationships with the community and the city employees.”

Estes was chosen from a statewide search by the city council working with MTAS and Hardy, said Mayor Curt Alexander.

“Hardy coordinated the interviews, and we interviewed four candidates, and chose Daniel Estes last April,” said Alexander.

The results of the evaluation, according to Hardy, “are among the highest ratings I can remember a city manager receiving.”

The mayor agreed with the evaluation completely.

“I think the results showed exactly how we as a council feel about Mr. Estes. I think he does a tremendous job. He’s great with the employees. He’s great with the community — with the public. He is easy to talk to, easy to approach…handles problems patiently, quickly,” said Alexander.

Estes received a law degree from Virginia’s Regent University School. He later attended the University of Tennessee where he earned a master in public administration. He served as assistant city manager for Collierville before taking his current job.

“I am pleased that the city council is satisfied with my first year as city manager,” said Estes. “It’s the start of a new budget year; and I am looking forward to what this year will bring.”