Hopkinsville Mayor Carter Hendricks was chosen Monday afternoon to become the next executive director of the South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council and will step down from his current job at the end of the month.
Lee Conrad chairs the EDC board and says Mayor Hendricks was the only candidate interviewed out of five applicants. He says Hendricks had the right mix of qualifications, energy and passion for the region.
The EDC works to bring industries and new jobs to Christian, Todd and Trigg counties and Mayor Hendricks says economic development has long been a passion for him. He says he considered applying when the position was vacant in 2017, but the timing wasn’t right.
Hendricks says he knew he would not seek a third term as mayor and decided to apply after prayer and discussion with his wife and children.
He is bothered by knowing some may be disappointed by his departure from the mayor’s office and also knows some people will be critical of his decision.
Hendricks is a member of the EDC Board in his role as mayor, but stopped attending meetings after applying for the position.
The mayor doesn’t feel like he’s abandoning Hopkinsville, instead seeing it as transitioning into a new role to advocate for the region.
He met with many members of his staff at 4:30 Monday afternoon while the EDC Board was meeting and told them of his intentions, should he be selected. The mayor briefly choked up talking about his relationship with the staff and their devotion to him when he had a heart attack a couple years ago.
Hendricks will begin his new role with an annual salary of $150,000. That’s about double his current salary of just over $74,000, but less than the $180,000 outgoing EDC Director Mark Lindsey was making.
Mayor Hendricks says anyone would be pleased to be making more money, but finances were not the sole driving force behind his decision. He says he’s passed on job offers that would have paid him more money than his current salary in the past because the opportunities weren’t situations he was as passionate about as he is with the EDC role.
Hopkinsville City Council will be tasked with choosing an interim mayor following Hendricks’ departure. If city council were to fail to act within 30 days, Governor Andy Beshear would have the power to appoint an interim mayor.