ALTUS – Having been the State Auditor & Inspector for eight years gives Gary Jones plenty of practical experience as Altus’s acting city manager in at least one aspect.
“I’ve looked at enough cities that I can certainly tell you what not to do,” he quipped. Jones has held the reins of city government here for about a month and a half, and appears to have settled into his role as a temp until a decision on a permanent officeholder is made. “I understand what my role as interim city manager is,” he said. “I work with the city council to address major concerns of the city.” At the moment those include water supply, the city’s 140 miles of wastewater collection lines and other maintenance issues, he said. “I have a history of identifying problems, coming up with solutions and getting them implemented.”
Jones, 65, is the fifth city manager Altus has had in five years and reportedly is the eleventh in 14 years. “There’s a reason city managers don’t unpack their suitcase,” he said. “They’re always one vote away from looking for their next job.” He said he likes his job, regardless of whether it lasts for another week, another month or even longer. “I’ve enjoyed what I’ve been doing here.” He’s impressed with the community, too. Altus, a town of approximately 20,000 population, is “the hub of Southwest Oklahoma,” Jones said. Its residents have “a pioneering spirit. They take care of things themselves.”
His appointment as acting city manager is a classic example of serendipity. After back-to-back four year terms as State Auditor, Jones was constitutionally “termed out” of office in January. He was sitting at home, watching the KSWO-TV newscast one evening in August, when he saw a story that Altus’s latest city manager, Janice Cain, had resigned. “I’m an early riser,” he said. “After I got up, drank some coffee and fed my cows, I wondered what I’d do with the rest of my day.”
So, he placed a phone call to Altus Mayor Jack Smiley and inquired about the job opening. “Gary reached out to me, not vice versa,” Smiley said. “We didn’t have any prior relationship, although I had met him once via my brother-in-law,” state Rep. Charles Ortega [R-Altus]. Smiley said he called both Ortega and Mike Fina, executive director of the Oklahoma Municipal League, to assess their opinions about Jones. “Both of them started off by telling me they didn’t always agree with Gary on particular issues, but both ended by telling me that he was an honest man who always tells you what he’s thinking, and both said we’d be lucky to have him.”
Smiley proposed Jones to the city council as interim city manager, and he was appointed acting manager, albeit in a split vote. “Gary sees a situation, looks at the data and makes a decision,” Smiley said. “He has great vision.” Jones was paid $114,713 per year as State Auditor & Inspector. Under his contract with the City of Altus he’s paid $10,000 per month, he said. Jones has a 50-minute drive to and from work each weekday from his home nine miles southwest of Cache.
"Actually, our house is about halfway between Indiahoma and Chattanooga.” He’s close enough that he can attend his grandchildren’s school events or respond to any emergency that might arise at his farm. The daily commute to Altus gives him plenty of time to think about what needs to be addressed at the office. “My goal in public service has always been to leave things better than how I found them,” Jones said. “I think we’re moving in that direction.”