By Mark Potter
FREDERICK – Robert Johnston will conclude his 27-year tenure as Frederick’s city manager to lead the city where he began his career in city administration nearly 40 years ago.
Johnston, a Lawton native, was recently hired as the new city manager at Clinton in Custer County, where he will assume duties effective Oct. 1.
At Clinton, he worked in various positions from 1981 to 1989 starting out as an administrative assistant then public works director and later assistant city manager. He then worked as city manager in Tonkawa in Kay County from 1989 until accepting his current position in Frederick in February of 1993.
During his 27 years of leading Frederick, Johnston noted several accomplishments made by the city. Those included the expansion of the city’s industrial section near the Frederick Regional Airport southeast of the city to bring Henniges, an automobile parts manufacturer, to the city.
Also, the city was awarded several grants including one from the Federal Aviation Administration to improve airport runway facilities and other grants for improvements to Frederick’s water treatment plant and distribution system along with the wastewater treatment system
Johnston said another accomplishment by the city during his tenure was a street improvement plan that was funded by a sales tax approved by local voters. Also receiving voter approval was a sales tax for improvements to Tom Steed Reservoir near Mountain Park in Kiowa County, Frederick’s main water source.
Frederick has also benefitted from Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, using Frederick Regional Airport and surrounding air space for training of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) pilots.
“We’ve always had a good relationship with the Air Force and their use of our airport,” Johnston said. “We’ve gone to the Pentagon and the Capitol in Washington, D.C. to show our support.”
Johnston said that managing a city is always an “ongoing” process. “Your work is never really done as a city manager,” he said. “It’s a continual process due to funding availability, technology and other changes.”
Johnston said that it is no secret that rural America, including Frederick and Tillman County, have suffered hard times in recent years due to population losses.
“We’ve seen a lot of people come and go due to relocation and death,” he said. Johnston said the despite the issues facing rural areas, they are still attractive for many residents to live and work.
“Many are content to raise their families in a small community that is close to a larger city,” he said. Frederick is located 45 miles from Lawton and 60 miles from Wichita Falls, Texas.
Johnston said that each of the five city council members who voted to hire him in 1993 are now deceased and that only two city employees who were on Frederick’s payroll when he started are still employed by the city in 2020.
“I’ve been blessed to work with some very good council members,” he said.
The city council recently approved the hiring of Tracy Judd of Waynoka as interim city manager. She will work alongside Johnston until his last day as city manager Sept. 25.