VALDOSTA – The interim city manager has been named the sole finalist for the job.

Valdosta City Council has announced Richard Hardy, who currently serves as interim city manager, as the sole finalist for city manager out of four candidates interviewed by the council.

As city manager for Valdosta, Hardy will oversee the city’s 10 departments, 600-plus employees and the city budget. Hardy has been with the City of Valdosta since 2014, first serving as the director of public works before being named deputy city manager of operations in late 2020.

As deputy city manager of operations, he led the public works and utilities departments, including 17 divisions.

In a short time, Hardy had already “made a positive impact in building stronger ties in the community, hearing from citizens about their ideas for the city’s future,” city officials said in a statement.

“I am ecstatic to serve the citizens as city manager. My vision is to collaborate and strengthen community relationships,” Hardy said in a statement. “I am honored to have the support and trust of the mayor and council who saw fit to select me as the sole finalist.”

Hardy serves as a member of the American Public Works Association, Small Cities and Rural Communities Committee, and is now an active member of Georgia’s APWA Southwest Branch. He is the vice-chairman of Deep South Regional Municipal Solid Waste Management Authority, representing the City of Valdosta in sanitation, grant acquisition and landfill disposal requirements.

Mayor Scott James Matheson said he has high hopes for Hardy stepping into the role, as his term as interim city manager helped “strengthen partnerships and grow collaborative efforts that benefit the citizens.

“In his role as interim city manager, Richard Hardy has seamlessly continued to oversee our day-to-day operations. He is an outstanding leader and I believe he will leave his mark as the next great city manager of the City of Valdosta,” he said.