Tederick remains on Town payroll part-time to continue helping Steven Hicks transition into Town Manager’s job

On Friday, January 8, this reporter contacted former Interim Town Manager and Interim Mayor Matt Tederick about rumors circulating that he had been appointed “assistant town manager” in the wake of the December 31^st end of his employment helping new Town Manager Steven Hicks transition into his job.

“Nope, false rumor,” Tederick assured us in a 1:45 p.m. phone response to a message left for him a short time before. However, he continued to explain that he has been retained by the Town on a part-time basis for what he estimated would be another month or two, at an average of 15 hours a week to continue in his transition role.

“It’s no surprise, council talked about it,” Tederick commented of the extension of his transition role. Asked when it had been publicly discussed, he pointed to a recent work session, likely in mid-December.

Matt Tederick begins his interim and now transition team journey in Town government as interim mayor at a June 3, 2019 work session. Royal Examiner File Photos by Roger Bianchini

Asked about his compensation in the part-time role, Tederick said it was slated at “up to $3,500 per month” with no benefits. Some quick calculating based on the 15-hour average week at the “up to” end of his monthly compensation indicated a potential hourly rate of about $58 dollars an hour, down from the $70 he was making as interim town manager.

Council’s selection of Hicks as a permanent replacement for Town Manager Joe Waltz, who resigned effective November 8, 2019, came in the second round of a consultant-driven executive search after an initial rejection of the first batch of candidate finalists. Hicks selection was announced in a November 23, 2020 press release. He began as town manager on December 7. After 13 months in the interim manager’s role, council initially retained Tederick to help assist Hicks acclimate to his new job through the end of the year.

Photo in Town press release announcing the hiring of Steven Hicks as Town Manager – Courtesy Photo Town of Front Royal

Prior to a December council meeting as controversy was raging at the national level over the lack of coordinated transition work between the Trump Administration and Biden team, we asked Tederick if we should now refer to him as “transition team director”.

“I am the transition team,” he replied.

Now that role will continue at a pared back, part-time level on several projects Tederick initially described as “nothing major” to help fill what he called a lack of “institutional knowledge” by the newly installed Hicks regarding staffing, budget and EDA matters. Asked if the latter might not be considered a “major” item, Tederick replied, “I’ll give you that.”

Asked how he would respond to those who might claim he is clinging to town government to push a sometimes-controversial agenda on issues like the EDA, Afton Inn and Tourism Marketing outsourcing, Tederick replied, “The haters are going to be haters – I don’t lose any sleep over it.”

We contacted Front Royal Town Manager Steven Hicks about his interim predecessor’s continuation as his “transition team”. Hicks confirmed that he did seek Tederick’s continued assistance in that role, pointing to the positive impact the interim town manager has had inside Town Hall over his 13-month tenure.

Hicks, right, with Town Finance Director B. J. Wilson, photographed virtually at January 4 work session/special meeting to launch an new council and new year.

“I don’t think a lot of people understand the level of executive leadership he has brought to bare that has changed people’s morale in here. They really enjoy working with him. I have some big shoes to fill, and I wanted to continue that interaction and relationship with the core of people here,” Hicks said of his ongoing acclimation process.

As to Tederick’s assistance on EDA matters, Hicks pointed to a perspective on the contested financial dispute over exactly how much money is owed the Town in the wake of the EDA financial scandal, as opposed to any directives on which way the Town may proceed on either rejoining the County in joint oversight of the existing EDA versus creation of a unilateral Town EDA.

Town Manager Hicks also said he was “hopeful” that a resolution on the Afton Inn sale, facilitating redevelopment of the property, will be achieved before the end of the month. “That is our goal,” he observed as discussions between the Town and EDA have proceeded recently.

And that is a story we are “hopeful” of reporting, we assured the town manager, and were he on the line, his “transition team” as well.