Evilsizor named as interim replacement

By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter

brobinson@thepccourier.com

PICKENS — After five years on the job, Pickens city administrator Katherine Brackett announced her resignation at a special called city council meeting last week.

Brackett has accepted a new position as assistant town administrator in Mount Pleasant.

Pickens officials moved quickly to name a temporary replacement for Brackett, as Bruce Evilsizor was named interim city administrator at Monday night’s city council meeting.

Evilsizor, who has served as clerk to council and administrative assistant with the city since October 2012, said he had 30 years of experience in local government in Ohio before he and his wife moved to Pickens County “to enjoy some warmer weather and to enjoy the outdoors.”

“I lived and worked in my hometown my whole life, and with the exception of having mountains and waterfalls instead of corn and bean fields, the Pickens community is similar to my hometown,” Evilsizor said.

Evilsizor served as a city police officer for 25 years in Ohio, as well as five years as a city administrator. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Dayton.

He is a member of the board of the Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce.

” I have been impressed by the friendly people and the strong effort to make improvements in the City of Pickens,” Evilsizor said. “I enjoy the atmosphere and challenges of local government administration in a small city and look forward to serving as the interim city administrator.”

Hendricks will officially leave later this month to take her new job, but said she and Evilsizor “will be working closely together over the next few weeks and expect a smooth transition with little interruption to projects and day-to-day operations.”

Pickens mayor David Owens said he hates to see Hendricks leave, as she was key in the creation of the Pickens Revitalization Association and Town Creek bicycle park. Owens said Hendricks also helped the city refinance old debt, saving the city millions of dollars during her time as administrator.

“We have accomplished a lot in the last five years and look forward to carrying many projects across the finish line,” Owens said in a news release.

Owens said the city will post a job opening for a full-time administrator in the next few weeks.