HAMLET — Jonathan Blanton is leaving — again.
Blanton is moving to the small town of Ranlo in Gaston County, just outside of Gastonia, and will serve as the town’s first administrator, according to a press release.
The town’s Board of Commissioners voted March 12 to amend its charter to adopt the council-manager style of government and hire Blanton to head it up.
Ranlo, a former mill village which had a population of just more than 3,400 according to the 2010 Census, has seen significant growth in the past decade because of its proximity to Charlotte, the release states.
The town was incorporated in 1963 and has operated with a mayor-council style government since.
Blanton has served as the city manager in Hamlet for the better part of the past three years, having been hired in January of 2017.
He announced his resignation nearly a year ago to take a job at UNC Charlotte as director of business affairs and finance where he was to oversee an $18 million budget, as well as personnel and business operations for the University’s Graduate School.
However, after staying on as interim manager, he was re-hired in June at $90,000 per year.
“Over the last three years, we have accomplished so much together,” Blanton said in his resignation letter.
“Our City Lake is in the best condition it has ever been, with a progressive Master Plan completed to move forward to even greater improvements,” he continued. “Our Waste-Water Treatment Plant is on the verge of doubling its capacity with the opportunity to expand, grow, and entice industrial and residential business.
“Our new Chief of Police has promoted togetherness, community involvement, and built one of the most professional agencies in the region,” Blanton said. “I am beyond proud of the support and teamwork we all have contributed together to make these victories, and so many others, possible.”
The rest of Blanton’s letter reads as follows:
"I am humbled beyond measure to have been a part of this community, and this team, for the last three years.
I chose to embark on a career in local government to help others and to make a positive impact through a life of public service. I feel like I have done just that over my tenure as City Manager here in Hamlet. Whether it was bringing joy into senior adults' lives at bingo nights at retirement homes, or rallying the community around the City Lake revitalization, or simply taking the time to listen to the concerns of residents...and maybe even hand-deliver a new garbage can...I am better for my time here and I hope that Hamlet is a little better because of my time here.
I realize that my departure is not convenient, nor is it well-timed. However, an opportunity to make a positive impact on another community has presented itself and I am excited to embark on a unique journey that I feel led to undertake. Although I regret the difficulties that this will create for you all, I hope that you understand that I am leaving in the hopes of helping, growing, and uniting another person's hometown, just as I have your hometown.
I will make every effort possible to ensure that the 2020-2021 budget is in order prior to my departure and I will also ensure that a detailed master-plan is provided to each of you with next steps forward on important upcoming projects."
There was no resignation date or start date on either the letter or press release.
Neither Blanton nor Mayor Bill Bayless could be reached at the time of this writing.
