Douglas County Manager Picked As Dunwoody City Manager

Dunwoody city officials have selected Eric Linton – the current Douglas County administrator with a background in city planning and economic development – to be Dunwoody’s next city manager.

A vote on Linton’s appointment is expected at the Dec. 8 Dunwoody City Council meeting.

Linton will fill the vacancy left when Dunwoody’s first city manager, Warren Hutmacher, resigned in March to become the city manager in Johns Creek.

A review committee comprised of Mayor Mike Davis, two City Council members and select members of the community, evaluated a list candidates and narrowed down a group of finalists for the position.

“We conducted a thorough search and ultimately selected Eric from a large list of experienced and extremely talented candidates,” said Mayor Davis in a statement. “Eric is a highly skilled public administrator and government services manager with experience at the city and county level. Specifically, we were impressed with his veteran skills in planning, zoning and development, as well as his experience with comprehensive planning. I am confident he will be a tremendous asset to our city and the right leader for our exceptional team of employees.”

Linton was appointed Douglas County administrator in 2006, according to the county website. Before that he held economic development and planning director positions with the county, and had earlier worked as a planner and planning and zoning director for the city of Gainesville.

He is a credentialed manager with the International City/County Management Association, a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and is active in the American Planning Association, Georgia Planning Association, the Georgia City-County Management Association and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia.

“I am excited about the opportunity to serve the citizens of Dunwoody and help implement development and infrastructure improvements in line with community-driven plans and goals,” said Linton in a statement. “I grew up just outside the Dunwoody city border and attended Chamblee High School, so I am very familiar with the area’s character, history and tradition. It’s a homecoming for me in a way and I’m looking forward to providing strategic and effective ideas to help the city succeed.”

Linton is married to Cathy, his wife of 11 years, and together they have one son, Thomas. Linton holds a master’s degree in planning and a bachelor of science degree in management, operations management, both from the Georgia Institute of Technology.