(Encore presentation – originally presented March 12, 2023)

Dr. Gerald Newton, The City of Fayetteville’s Development Services Director, Chief Planning & Development Officer has served our City, its residents and citizens, its elected leadership, its management and would-be developers since October 2017. He has over 30 years of executive steward leadership of public and private multi-state, local government, and business experience leading teams and communities in transformative work, development, and growth including resolving complex real estate development and redevelopment, business, land use, and regulatory issues. He is married and has four children, a son-in-law, and three grandchildren. 

As the Director of Development Services, his department is responsible for the city’s planning, zoning, building inspection, permitting, and codes enforcement, all of which is done in conjunction with other departments, the city manager’s office, and the city council.  But BEFORE we can go on, this bit of background…  

Since starting with the city in 2004, and with the exception of five years spent as Manager of a city in Florida BEFORE returning to become Fayetteville’s City Manager in 2016, CM Doug Hewitt has always placed a premium on recruitment of quality candidates for jobs in Fayetteville’s City Government.  

Because of Dr. Newton’s rich and principled background, Dr. Newton was sought and recruited for application by City Manager Doug Hewitt.

We’ll hear this interview with Dr. Newton in two parts, the first today and the second next Sunday. 

Something I only learned after I had completed my original interview with DR. NEWTON is one of HIS daughters – in her interest in family history, had traced the lineage of their Newton name back to England’s Sir Isaac.   Sir Isaac NewtonFRS (1642=1726)[ was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author who was described in his time as a “natural philosopher”. He was a key figure in the philosophical revolution known as the Enlightenment. 

In his writings, Newton formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation that formed the dominant scientific viewpoint for centuries until it was superseded by the theory of relativity. Newton used his mathematical description of gravity to derive the laws of planetary motion, account for tides, the trajectories of comets, the precession of the equinoxes and other phenomena.  Just a few things like that! 

And even though our conversation with DR. Newton leaves us with the feeling he will always rely on HIS OWN judgement, work, achievements and stewardship principles, it gives us a little perspective into conscience when DR. Newton says in the beginning of our chat that among the forces with which he weighs his decisions include thoughts of wherein he’s come.  And now…our conversation….(Program and interview) 

INTERVIEW

Dr Gerald Newton (Development Services Director, Chief Planning & Development Officer for the City of Fayetteville) answers questions about business – and more – next Sunday morning in Part 2 of our conversation on Talkback.  

E.T. 28:11