By Guest Columnist Andy McDonald
Berea City Administrator Rose Beverly has announced she is leaving her post in the city effective January 15, 2025.
During Tuesday’s meeting of the Berea City Council, Beverly expressed her gratitude to citizens, department heads, and other elected officials for making her feel welcome when she was hired on at the city in September 2021. Beverly came to Berea after a stint as city administrator for Aitkin, Minnesota. She will now move on to a city administrator job in a larger city, Paris, Texas, which has a population of approximately 25,000.
“Luckily for me, everybody embraced me and helped me become a part of the community, and I’m so grateful for that,” Beverly recalled about starting in Berea.
During her remarks, Beverly gave special thanks to the city staff. “We have built great relationships and I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have been a part of this team. I’m very sad to leave, and I just hope that everyone knows what a beautiful and special place Berea is.”
Originally from Arco, Idaho, Beverly was a trailblazer, becoming the first woman elected to the Butte County (Idaho) Commission, then being selected as Berea’s first female city administrator three years ago.
When she began her tenure, she expressed a desire to help expand Berea’s identity as a destination for outdoor adventures, to promote economic development, and shore up city infrastructure. Since then, Beverly spearheaded an effort to revise the city’s pay scale to stem employee attrition, and she has been praised by Public Works Committee Chair Jerry Little for being proactive when it comes to getting Berea’s streets resurfaced in an economic and timely fashion. She also played a major role in forging a joint Berea, Richmond, Madison County plan to fund 911 emergency services when federal Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) money goes away next year.
Most recently, Beverly guided the process for securing a $750,000 CDBG grant for a Farristown African-American heritage and community center, which may break ground as early as next year.
Beverly has also been vocal in her support for Mayor Bruce Fraley’s economic development efforts, stating they are critical to bringing new jobs to the city. That, she has stated, will secure a revenue base that will bolster Berea’s ability to provide public services in the future. During the mayoral comments segment of the meeting, Fraley expressed his gratitude to Beverly.
“Without question, your efforts and your ability to lead and your ability to manage has improved the quality of life for the citizens of Berea, which is what we brought you here to do,” Fraley said.
Other officials echoed those sentiments.
“I’m just so grateful to have been able to work with you and learn from you, and I’m also sad that you are leaving, but grateful for your influence on Berea,” said Councilmember Katie Startzman.
Councilman Steve Caudill joked that Tuesday was the only time he felt compelled to boo a city administrator’s report after she announced her resignation.
“You’ve really been a great asset to our city and worked through a lot of issues and problems and found good solutions,” Caudill said. “I’ve always really respected the work that you put in, the way that you think about things, and I think you’ve done an exceptional job. You’ll be sorely missed. You have made Berea a better place and we thank you for that.”
Beverly said she will begin work at her new post on January 20.
