City manager’s contract extended; nearly $183K
Oakridger
Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson will serve another year as city manager and will get a $1,000 bonus “for his efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Watson is a city employee rather than an elected official, but he is in charge of running the city’s various departments and often advises Oak Ridge City Council on decisions. He began working in Oak Ridge on Aug. 9, 2010. This extension will extend his contract through Aug. 8, 2023. Watson has been in charge of the various city departments as they have navigated how to adjust for the pandemic. He also contracted the virus himself and recovered, although the report from the city manager evaluation committee doesn’t mention it.