Sanson

Sanson

ELKINS — Elkins City Council unanimously voted to appoint a new city Operations Manager Thursday evening.

Joshua Sanson’s appointment was recommended by council’s ad hoc Special Hiring Committee, which was formed after the resignation of Bob Pingley in August 2021. Pingley had been placed on leave with pay earlier that month.

Sanson has lived in Elkins and worked at Davis Medical Center since 2007. He will supervise the city departments responsible for trash collection; street paving and repairs; code enforcement; building permits and inspections; and the maintenance and upkeep of City Hall and other city buildings, facilities, and grounds.

Sanson began at DMC as a radiology technician.

“While at DMC, I was invited to join a multidisciplinary team that was redesigning the emergency department’s space and practices,” he said. “That was my first exposure to the concepts of process and operational excellence.”

“After returning to my department, I was chosen to be trained in Lean tools and concepts and selected to help implement a new daily management system called The Davis Way,” Sanson noted.

“Coming out of those experiences, I knew I had found my new career,” he said. “I finished my bachelor’s degree and am currently working on a master’s degree in operations and project management.”

Sanson said he is eager to use his skills at City Hall.

“The City of Elkins is one of the most gorgeous towns on the east coast, and it has always held a special place in my heart,” Sanson, a Webster County native, said. “I’m looking forward to listening and learning from the frontline folks who keep things rolling every day and seeing how I can help the city be the best place it can be.”

In December 2021, Elkins City Council approved changes including shifting supervision of the city’s water and wastewater utilities from the Operations Department to their respective boards and chief operators.

City officials have repeatedly declined to provide any details about Pingley’s resignation, or about why he had been placed on leave.

Pingley was named the city’s operations manager in April 2008. During his tenure the city completed construction of a new $37 million water treatment plant in 2018. Elkins was named the 2018 Water System of the Year by the West Virginia Rural Water Association.

Also in 2018, city water department employees walked off the job in June regarding pay issues. Later that year, the city adopted a “step and grade” Classification and Compensation Plan which includes the opportunity for annual review of wages and possible wage increases based on employee evaluations and available revenues.