TO BE FILLED BY FORMER SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENTT MEDIA SPOKESPERSON
Earlier this week, Hendersonville City Manasger John Connet made this announcement in a press release:
“On November 7, 2018, City Manager John Connet announced Allison Nock as the Communications Manager for the City of Hendersonville. A newly-created position, the Communications Manager will work to ensure information about news, programs and services from City departments and elected officials are delivered efficiently and effectively to media organizations, employees and the public.”
The city’s new Communications Manager is leaving a similar position she has held for the past several years with the Henderson County Sheriff’s Department of out-going Sheriff Charlie McDonald. Her departure from the sheriff’s department comes less than one month before Sheriff-Elect Lowell Griffin will be officially sworn into office on December 3rd, when a new sheriff typically fills some positions at the HCSD with new people.
The City Manager gave WHKP News more details Thursday on this new full time position and on Allison Nock. He told Tippy Creswell that for several years, the job of “public information officer” for the City has been part-time and was held by Tara Ledbetter who left her City employment “...to go back and work in her family’s business”.
Connet said that after Ledbetter left the job, the City evaluated the position...and decided that because of city government’s “...need for improved inter-action with the media and providing information for our citizens, it was important to make this a FULL time position which would create a good conduit between the City and the local media”.
Nock’s salary has been set, he said, at “roughly $55 thousand per yeas plus all other benefits that City employees get, including retirement and medical benefits”...Connet added, “...but her base salary is right at $55 thousand.”
Allison Nock, said Connet, will have “standard office hours from 8am to 5pm and she will be “on call” 24 hours per day, 7 days per week”.
“Her duties will be helping our City departments get their message out, from water breaks to street closures, making sure the citizens are aware of the services we provide, and working with the media to co-ordinate press releases, coming up with new educational programs, and improving the way we (the City) communicate with our public.”
By Larry Freeman and Tippy Creswell
