MOUNT VERNON — The Knox County Board of Commissioners approved the hiring of a new water/wastewater department superintendent last week. Ray Withers of Pataskala will begin duties on Monday in his new position which was left vacant when former superintendent Jason Figgins was transferred to the position of plant operator.
“We feel [Withers] is going to work well with the rest of the people in the water/wastewater department and that he will be a good addition. I think he will be able to lead us where we need to go,” said Knox County Commissioner Teresa Bemiller on Wednesday morning. “He has very good experience and has accomplished a lot.”
Withers comes to Knox County having worked for the city of Pataskala for 29 years as director of utility services and has most recently worked part-time with the village of Granville as an operator. He currently holds a Class 3 wastewater license and a Class 2 water license. He graduated from Groveport Madison High School and has an associate degree in environmental technology from Columbus State Community College.
“My goal will be to make things run as smoothly as they possibly can and get things done in a timely manner,” Withers told the News. He and his wife, Sherry, have been married since 1975. They have two grown sons.
“There were many good candidates for the job,” said Bemiller. “We interviewed about six people and conducted end-up interviews. There were a lot of things we looked at to make sure we were getting the right person.”
