Sanson

Sanson

ELKINS — The City of Elkins’ new operations manager has resigned after about four months in the position.

Joshua Sanson has tendered his resignation, effective July 1, a source within Elkins city government told The Inter-Mountain Friday afternoon.

Elkins City Council voted unanimously to appoint Sanson to the position on Feb. 17.

Sanson has lived in Elkins since 2007, and worked at Davis Medical Center from 2007 until his appointment to the city’s operations manager position. Sanson began at DMC as a radiology technician. While at DMC he earned a bachelor’s degree and began work on a master’s degree in operations and project management.

The Elkins operations manager supervises 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.

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.

Sanson’s appointment in February 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.

City officials 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.