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Newton has new development services director
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Lynn Morgan Ervin was appointed director of Newton County’s development services department in October, after serving as interim director since April.

Professional background: Morgan was the department’s deputy director for 2 1/2 years, dating back to its formation in the summer of 2010, when the planning and zoning and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) departments  were combined. Ervin said she handled most of the staffing, scheduling and payroll in her role as deputy director.

Prior to that, Ervin was the GIS manager from 2005 to 2010, taking that position after working as a GIS technician in the Newton County Tax Assessor’s office.

She also worked with the Georgia Dept. of Transportation from 1999 to 2005, including serving as a supervisor over road inventory. Having been a manager in three different departments across two organizations, Morgan said she’s always enjoyed managing a staff and helping to place people in a position to succeed.

She has an associate’s degree in business administration from Clayton State University, as well as professional GIS certifications. She’s looking into possibly pursuing a degree on the development side to complement her professional experience, she said.

Challenge of the job: Ervin said the most difficult part of her job has been getting a thorough understanding of the wide array of work done in development services, to the point where she can make executive decisions on any issue and fill in gaps when someone is out of work.

What she’s enjoyed the most is building up a team that helps the county in many ways, from assisting individual property owners with small projects to playing a part in the securing of a major industry such as Baxter International.

Because development services handles many regulatory functions, such as code enforcement and development rules, customers aren’t always pleased with the answers they get. But Ervin said it’s important for staff to handle those interactions well.

"We’re giving staff training on a daily basis to deal with customers, which is a key component. Just because the person on the other side is having a bad day, it does not mean you have to have a bad day," Ervin said.

Family: Ervin has two sons at Georgia Southern University: Bryan, 21, and Cody 19; a daughter, Danielle, 17, a senior at Eastside High School; and two stepdaughters, Angelica, 21, and Lexi, 17. She and her husband, Jimmy Ervin, were married in September and live in downtown Covington, which has been an adjustment for Lynn Ervin, who’s been a country girl most of her life.

"I enjoy the luxury of walking to the square and the business there and the events. I’ve always lived in the country, but being in the city has been really nice and very convenient," Lynn Ervin said, adding, "My goal is to get a golf cart."

April 3 crash kills two young adults, injures third
Newton County Sheriff Car---WEB

NEWTON COUNTY — Around 10 a.m. on Thursday, a head-on collision on Highway 212 left two young adults dead and a third hospitalized.

Joe Navarro, 21, was driving the vehicle and Breanna Smith, 18, was in the passenger seat. Katie New, 20, sat between them.

According to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, the vehicle lost control while going around a curve and crossed the centerline, where it collided head-on with a box truck. The crash report shows that their vehicle traveled another hundred feet after impact before coming to a stop. It spun, ended up facing the opposite direction on the shoulder of the opposite lane.

Navarro and Smith were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. New was airlifted to Grady Hospital. Her current condition is not known. 

Navarro, Smith and New were not believed to be wearing seatbelts when the collision occurred.

The driver of the box truck was not reported to have suffered any injuries.

This is an ongoing story. The News will post updates as they are made available.