New Warsaw town manager J. R. Steigerwald takes a moment to look over the board room on his first day on the job.
J. R. Steigerwald was approved by the town board late Friday afternoon and he accepted the position and was busy getting into his new role after just four hours on the job.
Steigerwald was born in upstate New York in the town of Binghamton before his family moved to the Research Triangle as a part of IBM.
He received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has worked in local government close to 20 years.
“I worked in Wilson for six-and-half years as downtown and community development administrator, and then I moved to Hickory for 12 and half years as their economic development coordinator, handling downtown redevelopment and incentive deals for existing and new establishments.”
He also served on a resource team while in Wilson, which came to Warsaw working on downtown redevelopment and the Main Street Project.
His experience in downtown redevelopment was a big selling point for the town commissioners, officials said.
The new manager’s wife, Anna, he said, will be seeking employment locally as a paralegal, in real estate or possibly the banking industry.
He has a 22-year-old daughter who is a senior at UNC-Greensboro.
Coming to eastern North Carolina was a good choice, he said, for his family, particularly since he “loves seafood and eastern barbecue,” and his wife wanted warmer weather anda home closer to the beach.
“I was drawn to Warsaw first because they were seeking a manager, and I had the desire to be a town manager. I was also familiar with the area from the prior experience here and knew the town to be progressive and establishing historical preservation. There are not many towns the size of Warsaw that see the value of property.”
The new town administrator pointed out that the strong agricultural base of Warsaw and Duplin County and the downtown development shown by the council influenced his decision to relocate.
“Working with a diverse population is one of my strong points,” he attested, adding he has a love for athletic officiating and recreation. That love was why his curiosity was heightened by the town’s development of the armory into a wellness center. “That would be my dream come true to start a recreation department. I just came back from touring the armory site, and it just a beautiful facility.”
Warsaw mayor Win Batten expressed the town’s expectations for the new manager. “Obviously we were looking someone to come in that could handle the day-to-day activities of the town. Also we wanted someone that had the experience in downtown development and to help us to fill some of the empty store fronts. We are looking to get involved in the STEP program which is an economic development program. His background in recreation also was a great match as we are seeking to develop the recreation and wellness program at the old armory.”
Batten expressed they were glad to have Steigerwald on board and are looking forward to working together to build a better Warsaw.
Steigerwald concluded that education was very important to the area but the town had little to do with the educational process.
The health of the people, he said, could be affected by the town and the focus on the wellness center, and this is something he feels will help draw people back to the town. Jobs are another area in which he is hoping to focus. “We need to generate some growth. Young people want to leave the area to set out, but many wish to return to the area when it comes time to raise their families, and we have to do all we can to make the area attractive to have these people return.”
To contact Billy Todd, call 910-592-8137 ext. 117 or e-mail sigeneral@myclintonnc.com.
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