Nichols resigns
Marion City Administrator and City Clerk Dennis Nichols has accepted a position as director of finance and city clerk at Hesston.
His last day in Marion is Sept. 12. He was with the city for four years.
"My background is in finance and accounting, so this is a nice job for me," Nichols said. He spent 22 years in banking in Wichita before pursuing a career in the ministry, including a job at Morning Star Ranch near Florence.
He notified city commissioners Aug. 20.
The family will relocate to Hesston but Nichols' wife, Susan, plans to remain at Marion National Bank.
"I'll commute for a time until we find a home, then she'll commute," he said. "She loves her job and doesn't want to leave it."
Their home at Marion County Lake is for sale.
Their son, Thad, attends Berean Academy in Elbing, but Nichols said they were satisfied with a car pool and that had little impact on his decision.
"As it turns out, there's a bus that runs between Hesston and Berean, so it ends up working out that way, too," he said.
Interest shown
Nichols said he wasn't seeking a new job but was curious when he heard about this particular opening, due to its emphasis on accounting skills.
"They had something like 42 applicants so I really wasn't expecting much, but they were very interested because of my experience working with the city," he said.
The job doesn't have the responsibility of a city administrator though the financial package is better than what Marion offered, Nichols said. The hours should be more consistent and stress should be less.
Nichols said he was pleased with his time in Marion. Projects such as the library relocation, Batt Industrial Park, and Brooker Memorial Spring in Central Park were some of the more obvious projects.
Others such as improvements to city utilities and streets, as well as developing policies and procedures for city employees, were less visible but just as valuable, Nichols said.
"I didn't do any of them alone," he said. "It took a lot of people to pull these together. I know I'll miss my fellow employees. I'm not sure people realize what a dedicated team they have working for them."
Mayor Eloise Mueller said she hated to see Nichols leave but was happy for him.
"He's done a great deal and accomplished many improvements in Marion," she said.
