Bob Foos
Jonathan “Jon” Cook says he understands why Carterville citizens would be skeptical of the motivations of a 25-year-old outsider who has been picked to administer their city.
What is his motivation?
“To serve the people. STP,” he answers. “I love doing the right thing for people.”
He says he’s aware that the city’s had persistent problems. That’s old news.
“The headline here is we’re fixing it.”
With a new public works director and whole new public works staff, Cook says he’ll “give the people a three-to-five-year plan of what to expect – where their streets, water and parks will be at.”
He also promises to be open with the public. “Transparency is the best way to rebuild trust,” he says.
Cook says he appreciates Mayor Alan Griffin for picking him, out of 60 applicants, for the job of city administrator.
Before the word got out about his hiring, he started attending City Council meetings without being introduced, starting in July. Sitting in the audience in a suit raised some questions. Was he an attorney, maybe an auditor?
He officially became the new city administrator on Oct. 15.
Despite being just 25, Cook says he brings experience to the job and a desire to be a public servant that goes back to when he expressed an interest at age 5 to become the president.
He grew up in Miami, Okla., and started out as a jailer. That led to thoughts of continuing in law enforcement, “But I changed my mind pretty quickly.”
He next worked at the wastewater plant in Miami, where he says he learned a lot and became a certified operator. “I really thought that’s what I wanted to do.”
In addition to helping people, he says he likes making positive change happen.
At his next job, with the post office in Vinita, Okla., even though he rose to a supervisory role he realized “I’d have to be there 50 years” to change that big organization.
His next step headed him in the direction of city administration.
He worked two and a half years with the city of Joplin as an engineer’s assistant, utilities coordinator and right-of-way technician. He thanks Dan Johnson, director of public works, for “showing a lot of grace to a young kid who wanted to do things differently.” He summarized his office conversations as a lot of, “Why do we do this? Why don’t we do that?”
At the same time, Cook is taking online classes through the University of Missouri to get his master’s degree in public administration, and he’s planning to get married.
Cook is filling the vacancy left when Will Cline, after 18 years with the city, resigned in June. He started as police chief and became the city administrator.
Griffin says Cline “got so good at writing grants that he’s now writing grants for the Harry S Truman Coordinating Council.
Carterville has received two $500,000 grants in a row for street construction in the low-to-moderate income-level area west of Pine Street.
With the first grant, streets north and south Main Street in that area were paved.
Cook says he’s not taking credit away from Cline for obtaining the second grant – it’s his responsibility to see the city gets its money’s worth.
Depending on how the bids come in, Cook says Lewis and Daugherty streets will be paved between Carter and Pine Streets, and Fountain Street will be paved from Main to Sharon Drive. Tennessee Avenue and Poplar Street are also on the wish list.
Carterville took a big step toward a more reliable water system by constructing a second well. Getting a second water tower is the goal now.
Cook has been on an unofficial listening tour to find out what residents are dissatisfied about.
He says his attitude is, “We’ve all got to get together,” with him exhibiting persistence, determination and a positive attitude.
Water and streets, as they’ve been for a long time, are Carterville’s main problems. Cook says it will be challenging to prioritize them both.
Sharing that challenge with him will be a new public works director, Justin Hilgenberg, and an all-new staff of four employees.
Hilgenberg also comes from Joplin and Miami, where he worked 18 years in building maintenance, engineering support, equipment operation and facilities management.
Griffin says both Cook and Hilgenberg “have a heart to serve.”
They’re not the only recent additions to Carterville’s City Hall.
Griffin and Cook have hired Lisa Ruprecht as city clerk. She brings 10 years of experience as city clerk of Galena, Mo.
Missy Roughton is the rather new city collector.
Court clerk Carol Feathers has been in her position since 2020.
“It was time for a change,” Griffin says. “I’m proud to be the mayor of Carterville.”
The Webb City Sentinel isn’t a newspaper – but it used to be, serving Webb City, Missouri, in print from 1879-2020. This “newspaper” seeks to carry on that tradition as a nonprofit corporation.
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