Easley administrator selected as new Myrtle Beach assistant city manager

Jonathan F. “Fox” Simons Jr., the Easley city administrator, will be Myrtle Beach’s new assistant city manager beginning next month, Myrtle Beach officials said Thursday.

Simons had been a finalist for the city manager position that was given to former assistant city manager John Pedersen. Pedersen announced the hire on Thursday.

“We are very excited that Fox Simons has accepted our offer to fill the vacant assistant city manager’s position,” Pedersen said in an email. “He brings a wealth of experience after very successful tours of duty in both Easley and Greenville and is perfect fit for our management team. I’m personally looking forward to working with Fox and the entire team to meet council’s goals to make this great community even better.”

Simons, who has been Easley city administrator since 2006, is filling the position Pedersen left vacant last fall when he replaced Tom Leath as city manager. Simons’ first day is expected to be Feb. 16, Pedersen said. He will make an annual salary of $125,000, city spokesman Mark Kruea said.

“I am very excited to be joining the Myrtle Beach team,” Simons said in an email. “John and his team of dedicated professionals are outstanding, and I am honored and humbled to have been selected. Myrtle Beach is a fantastic community and I am looking forward to serving the citizens for many years.”

A Syracuse, N.Y., native, Simons told The Sun News in October that sports tourism is a big deal in Easley, and the city hosts up to 60 sporting events each year with tournaments in sports ranging from baseball and softball to gymnastics and volleyball.

Before working in Easley, Simons worked the city of Greenville in the city’s Office of Management and Budget, eventually serving as the interim director.

Simons received a bachelor of arts degree in history and political science from High Point University and went on to receive a master’s degree in public administration from The American University.

Simons said he began working in the public sector because it’s “where the rubber meets the road.”

“You deal with real people with real problems,” he said. “I love it, this is great.”

Simons was among 164 applicants for the assistant city manager job. Pedersen interviewed 11 people in recent weeks before offering the job to Simons.

“There were a number of really good candidates,” Pedersen said.

The assistant city manager “performs managerial and administrative work to assist in the oversight of the daily operations of the city government,” according to a job advertisement posted on the city’s website. Applicants were asked to have a master’s degree in public administration with 10 years of “progressively responsible” experience in local government.

This story was originally published January 15, 2015 at 11:59 AM with the headline "Easley administrator selected as new Myrtle Beach assistant city manager."