John Myers poses with his cake at a retirement party held in his honor at the Greenwood Justice Center on Monday. Photo provided by GPD
Retirement didn’t last very long for Edinburgh’s new town manager.
On the same day as his retirement party from Greenwood Police, John Myers was officially hired as Edinburgh’s new town manager by the town council. Myers had worked for the Greenwood Police Department for 34 years, serving for two years in a civilian role and working his way through the ranks through the years as a patrolman, K-9 officer and watch commander.
Myers has also served on the Johnson County Council for 12 years. He isn’t running for another term in the upcoming election. He’s announcing something regarding continued service of the county later this week, he said.
The council hired Myers effective immediately on Monday and his first day of work was Tuesday. He was “honored” and “humbled” to be chosen and called the town “a gem that sits between U.S. 31 and 65.”
Myers was born and raised in Greenwood and became a fire cadet with the city when he was 15. He has remained in public safety ever since. He worked for his aunt at Myers Ambulance for years, became a reserve at the Franklin Police Department and was hired full-time at Greenwood Police Department where he had served until his retirement.
Alongside his public safety experience, Myers previously has been involved in government since elementary school when his uncle ran for Greenwood mayor, he said. He has been a Johnson County Council member since 2012.
“I love that work that I did at the county, and I just enjoy that. Working with the community, the public, is just something I just truly enjoy and I like to see progress,” he said.
Myers said he wasn’t going to share what his vision for Edinburgh is yet, but pointed out the town is working on its new comprehensive plan. He is also focusing on building relationships with the department heads and town employees, he said.
“You got to have a relationship and see what the town needs. But looking at (it), they have their festivals down here. They have their Firecracker Festival in July, and I came down here the last couple years for that, and I’m just impressed with [the people of] this town and their commitment to the town,” Myers said. “They take pride in it, and they do what’s best.”
He said he is most excited about the new challenge and new people he will be working with. Edinburgh is like a family and he is looking forward to working with a town that does a lot for its community, he said.
“My door is always open,” he said. “I want to be out and about as much as I can.”
Edinburgh has cycled through multiple town managers in recent years. For the past few months, Town Council President Ryan Piercefield served as the interim town manager.
Since 2020, the town has had four different managers. Most recently, the town manager was Kevin McGinnis, who announced he would retire in April after less than a year on the job.
