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Two City of Locust employees were recognized by the City Council at the board’s monthly meeting on Oct. 10.
Planning and Zoning Director Scott Efird received the Member of the Year recognition from the North Carolina Association of Zoning Officials (NCAZO).
The award, according to the association’s website, “is presented to a zoning administrator, inspector, code enforcement officer, planner, or other official responsible for the administration of zoning and who is a current member of the NCAZO. This person must have qualities of leadership and dedication to their job; have thorough knowledge of the ordinances they are responsible for administering, and must possess the ability to handle difficult tasks in a manner that exemplifies the traits of professionalism sought by the NCAZO.”
“Scott excels in the field of planning and zoning and land use,” said Stanly County Zoning Code Enforcement Officer Tim Swaringen (who also serves as chair of the NCAZO awards committee) in presenting the honor.
“I call on him for advice quite often, and he is always very helpful,” he added.
Locust Mayor Steve Huber noted, “Scott has done great work with new buildings and working with developers as Locust grows. He lets them know that we care about how the houses and buildings look, and when they look good, Locust looks good.”
Efird deflected praise in accepting the award, stating, “I couldn’t do my job without the support of Cesar (Correa, city manager) and the Mayor.”

Additionally, new police officer Jerry Wallace was recognized by the council and by Police Chief Jeff Shue.
“Jerry is a former State Highway Patrol officer, and former Oakboro Police officer, and has served as a paramedic as well,” Shue noted. “We are glad to have him joining our force.”
In other business, the city council:
• Approved disposal of several items of obsolete equipment.
• Approved donation of obsolete generators to towns in Western NC suffering from flood damage.
• Approved performance of an update to the city’s marketing and demographics study to be performed by Retail Strategies.
• Heard a short presentation from new Stanly Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Casey Brooks.
• Set the next meeting of the council for Nov. 14.

Toby Thorpe is a freelance writer for The Stanly News & Press.