By Rachel Aubrey | [email protected]

For more than three decades, Gary Whatcott has been a “problem solver” within various roles in South Jordan City. In June, Whatcott retired from his most recent role as city manager, a position he has held since 2014. As the city manager, Whatcott was responsible for many of the executive duties of the city, working alongside Mayor Dawn Ramsey and the five-member city council. 

 “My job is to ensure that their vision is executed,” Whatcott said. “I run the day-to-day operations of the city.”

Simply put, and according to the South Jordan City website: 

“Under the City's six-member council form of government, by ordinance, the Mayor and City Council appoint the City Manager as the City's Chief Administrative Officer…The City Manager is responsible for the daily operations of the city including personnel…”

Sometimes it felt like a bit of a pressure cooker. Not only did Whatcott report to the mayor and council and work to establish trust with them, he also had to work to ensure that there was trust with the staff and with the residents. Never one to back down from an opportunity, Whatcott was given unique experiences early in his career that would help prepare him. 

A time for change

An ad in the local newspaper is what started Whatcott on his path in public safety. Beginning in 1977 in West Jordan where he purchased his first home, Whatcott volunteered as a firefighter. A year later, Whatcott took on another role and was hired by the West Jordan police department in 1978, working in the special investigation’s unit for a time. After several years of cross training as both a firefighter and a police officer, an opportunity came knocking.

Much like it was in West Jordan, nearby South Jordan only had volunteer firefighters. According to Whatcott, South Jordan was also outfitted with emergency medical services which were run and organized by “housewives” at the time. With so much growth in the late 1970s and 1980s, the city went looking to hire a more permanent solution in terms of public safety. 

“It seemed like a really interesting opportunity for me to come out here [to South Jordan],” Whatcott said.

In 1991, Whatcott became the first paid public safety employee in South Jordan. Shortly after, in 1992, a house claimed the lives of 5 residents. That fire would be the catalyst for the city council at that time to consider expanding the fire department’s capabilities. Whatcott was directly involved in starting the fire department from scratch in South Jordan, playing an integral role in the transition that would eventually lead to full-time firefighters in the city.

“It was fun to take a fire department that was all volunteer when I got here, separate it between EMS and fire, and brought it into a professional status,” Whatcott said. 

As South Jordan continued to grow and move away from the dominance of agriculture, Whatcott recalled how some members of the community welcomed the change and some were frustrated by it. From an employee perspective, Whatcott witnessed a lot of change and expansion over the years and was given the opportunity to be part of the solution to South Jordan’s public safety needs.

“I was fortunate to be on the ground floor of a city evolving like that,” Whatcott said. “To be part of helping sophisticate that and bring a level of professionalism to the community over time, what a drastic change I’ve seen.”

While some people find change to be difficult, Whatcott has always found change to be exciting. He said he has always had a healthy curiosity and has always enjoyed finding new ways to accomplish things.

“Change for me has always been exciting and easy to do,” Whatcott said. 

 Whatcott became the first fire chief in 1993 and eventually retired from public safety in 2003. After a 6-month separation from the city, Whatcott went on to work numerous jobs within city hall beginning in 2004. He was hired as city manager in 2014, a title he never saw for himself.

“It’s been a fun, exciting time,” Whatcott said.

Keep reinventing

His most recent position was a step away from literal fires and a step into metaphorical fires. Using his many years of problem-solving skills cultivated through his experience in public safety, Whatcott said he is most proud to have been part of creating a working environment where “employees can thrive.” He is also satisfied by the culture of hard work and caring that the city employees have.

 “I think our employees really do care about the work that they provide,” Whatcott said. “When you live and call this your home and you get to impact how your home feels, that’s a pretty cool opportunity.”

The work that Whatcott and the dedicated city employees do includes everything from approving the potential expansion of roads, planning for housing sub divisions, zoning for commercial space, street light placement, how the snow gets plowed in the winter, the planning and care of parks and recreation areas and so much more.

Melanie Edwards has worked with Whatcott since 2014 as an executive assistant and has seen first-hand just how overwhelming the city manager role can be. While there is a constant load of work to be done, Edwards said there is still fun and friendship to be had in the city offices in the form of sports jersey days, potlucks, ice cream weeks and the yearly Halloween costume contest.

“Gary possesses leadership qualities in the form of understanding and friendship,” Edwards said. “He brings people together and creates an atmosphere where we all want to do better.”

Whatcott says he is proud that as city manager he was able to witness how the city employees were willing to lead pioneering efforts, albeit sometimes unsuccessful, and break new ground for future generations.

“We like being in the lead, and we like being the example,” Whatcott said.

Former assistant manager Dustin Lewis has replaced Whatcott as city manager. Lewis said that working with Whatcott was “an adventure” and that he saw how much Whatcott cared for the city and its residents. 

“He cared deeply about the community and wanted to make it the kind of place that people were proud to be part of,” Lewis said. “He worked hard and was dedicated to getting the right things done to move the city forward.”

Over his career, Whatcott has had numerous opportunities to reinvent himself. He managed to pursue higher learning and earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Phoenix while working as fire chief and a master’s degree from Brigham Young University in public administration. He and his wife celebrated their 50th anniversary this year and together they have four children and 15 grandchildren.

Despite retiring from his immediate role in local government, Whatcott plans to spend his retirement working as a consultant for other local governments in small towns and cities across Utah.