Toms selected as new Winder administrator

Thompson did not disclose Toms’ salary, but a city source said it is $95,000. That is $33,128 less than the annual salary of the late city administrator, Bob Beck.

Toms' first day on the job is Nov. 8.

According to his resume`, the majority of Toms’ public sector experience has been in law enforcement administration.

However, he has worked for three other municipal governments in Georgia over the past four-and-a-half years.

He is a graduate of Florida State University, with bachelor’s degrees in political science and geography, and a master’s in public administration.

He worked for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for seven years as a research and training specialist and special projects coordinator. In 2002, he moved to Virginia, where he worked for three-and-a-half years at the Newport News Police Department in planning and grant management.

In early 2006, he relocated to Georgia and changed his focus to what goes on in city hall.

First, he was the city manager of Bowdon, a small town in Carroll County, which is west of Atlanta and has a population of about 2,000.

In August 2007, he moved across the state to Rincon, which is northwest of Savannah and had a population of about 7,000 at that time. It is the largest city in Effingham County.

Rincon City Council members recruited Toms after being impressed by him during encounters at a Georgia Municipal Association training course. They had high hopes and were pleased that he quickly developed good working relationships with the council, local citizens, and the city staff.

However, Toms’ tenure in Rincon was cut short by hiring decisions he made just months after his arrival.

According to press reports, Toms in March 2008 hired as Rincon’s new police chief a sergeant he had known in Newport News.

Just months later, a controversy surrounding the new chief erupted.

For more on this story, see the November 3 edition of the Barrow Journal or click here to read the full story online when you subscribe to our new e-edition.