KINGSPORT, TN – Kingsport City Manager John Campbell has called for some restructuring of duties at City Hall, creating one new position and retooling an old position. During a recent Board of Mayor and Aldermen work session, Campbell recommended the creation of a new position — assistant to the city manager — someone to help Campbell with his duties, facilitate the resolution of citizen concerns, and be a liaison with the Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority on the HOPE VI project.

Campbell has recommended Community Relations Director Dave Light for this new position. Light has been with the city for 25 years and in his current position since the mid-1990s. In addition to handling community relations for the city, Light also supervises the city’s fleet department.

The HOPE VI project is being funded in part from an $11.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The project calls for replacing the 92 public housing units at Riverview with 28 to 32 houses and for 24 new houses to be built in the Sherwood/Hiwassee community.

Campbell said the city could create Light’s new position without changing the BMA-approved 682 full-time positions, and it could be done with no additional allocation in the 2007 fiscal year budget. According to Human Resources Director Barbara Duncan, the salary range for the new position is $61,008 to $85,054 a year. Light currently makes $63,452 a year as community relations director.

Campbell said he would like to quickly move Light into his new position and begin advertising this week the vacancy in the retooled community and government relations position.