Walton City Council appointed and swore in John Wainwright as the city’s first-ever city administrator during a special meeting Tuesday evening.
Wainwright is a former Walton city councilmember, having served from 2016 to 2020, and again in an interim term following the COVID-19 pandemic. He works as director of HR field operations at Cracker Barrel, and has worked contractually for Walton on projects such as the renovation of the Walton Senior Center.
“I feel like it’s a new day for the city,” said Mayor Terri Courtney. “John has proven his dedication to the city. Even in the capacity of a volunteer role, John is always willing to step up. I look forward to the immediate impact that he will have for us, whether it’s sitting at different tables at the state, local, county level, and just being a presence that at times the city hasn’t had. I’m excited. He’s well-qualified. It’s going to be a great next couple of years.”
City administrators typically assist a city in creating budgets, managing personnel, enforcing policies and working with officials to develop new laws and policies. Walton City Council previously expressed that its biggest priority for the city administrator will be to assist with policymaking and to represent the city in state and county meetings.
“I’m super excited to represent the city,” Wainwright said. “Obviously, I was on City Council, so [I have] a working knowledge with a lot of these folks, and I’m very excited to bring a business mindset to the city.”
The move is more than a year coming, following an investigation into misuse of city funds by former Mayor Gabe Brown in May 2024, subsequent calls for increased oversight of city finances, and the formation of a city administrator committee. City Council confirmed in July that it would move forward with hiring its first city administrator.
“The city’s in a great spot with John as our administrator. I can’t wait for him to define the position, because we couldn’t have anyone stronger and more capable to define what’s new here for the city,” said Courtney. “He’s going to excel. And I know we’re all going to benefit.”