COVINGTON, Ga. — After leading the city of Covington’s day-to-day operations for nearly three years, City Manager Scott Andrews announced Tuesday he would be stepping down to accept a new job more than 2,000 miles away.
Andrews said he was leaving his post as Covington’s city manager to take a similar position in Bakersfield, California.
“It is bittersweet to leave the community I love,” Andrews told The News. “However, an exciting opportunity has presented itself. I will be joining the city of Bakersfield, California, as the assistant city manager. Bakersfield is the ninth largest (nearly half a million residents) and fastest growing city in California. It is a tremendous opportunity for my family and I.”
Andrews said the job opportunity was simply too good to pass up, and his time spent in Covington helped prepare him for the new endeavor.
“As our council and staff know, I am incredibly driven,” he said. “The greater Atlanta area has been my home for the last eight years, but the opportunity to help lead one of the 50 largest organizations in the country is too good to pass up on.
“I have learned so much from our tremendous team in Covington,” Andrews continued. “I would put them up against any organization in the region. Covington is a full service city, with a lot of the same opportunities as my new organization, but on a larger scale: growth management, preserving city charm/identity, insuring adequate infrastructure, and staff succession planning.”
Covington Mayor Steve Horton described Andrews as a “very talented” professional who brought “new perspective” to the city.
“Scott and I have always had a great working relationship,” Horton said. “We’ve been able to accomplish a lot to help this community, specifically capitalizing on economic development activities to our tourism growth.”
Andrews was first tapped city manager in November 2019 to succeed former long-time city manager Leigh Anne Knight. After working out a short-term contract through December 2019, the city council at the time approved a two-year contract for him to serve from Jan. 6, 2020 through Dec. 31, 2021.
In January, the Covington City Council had unanimously approved another contract agreement to retain Andrews through Dec. 31, 2023.
Andrews has nearly two decades of experience working in governmental leadership roles. Before coming to Covington, Andrews was assistant city administrator for Smyrna; economic development director in Sugar Hill; and several other leadership roles in Temple Terrace, Florida. Andrews has a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a master’s degree in public administration and a doctoral degree in organizational leadership.
In October 2020, Andrews received the Credentialed Manager designation from the International City/County Management Association.
“I am so proud of the growth of our team members,” Andrews said. “Team [Covington] is outstanding from our dedicated front line staff, to our council that is passionate about representing our engaged community. I’m so proud to see the Cricket Frog Trail unfold, as well as our public art initiatives, the welcome center, all of our community engagement initiatives, and the success of our warming shelter. Above all though, I’m most proud of our talented team of 320. I love our staff."
What Andrews said he would miss most about Covington was the community.
“This is a special place where people wave to you, check on you when you are struggling, and you can leave your door unlocked at night,” he said.
Andrews said his last day on Covington’s staff would be Friday, May 6, and then the transition to Bakersfield would begin in June.
As the search to determine Andrews’ replacement begins, Horton said Covington Planning & Development Director Tres Thomas, who doubles as city engineer, would serve as acting city manager.
