Bolivar board hires city administrator

The Bolivar Board of Aldermen approved the hiring of a former FBI agent as the municipality’s next city administrator.

Thomas Relford is scheduled to start March 20, according to a news release.  

Relford, who currently lives in Salem, worked with the FBI for 25 years before retiring as the special agent in charge of the Albany, New York, field office in 2021.

“We are thrilled to hire a candidate of Mr. Relford’s caliber to fill our city administrator seat,” Mayor Christopher Warwick said in the release. “Over the past several years, our elected officials, leadership and staff have worked hard to make Bolivar an even better place to live, work and visit.  

"We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished, and we’re confident Thomas will come in, take up the mantle and continue that progress."

Relford succeeds Tracy Slagle, who retired from the municipality in January.

Currently the owner and operator of security audit and compliance consultant firm Thomas F. Relford Consulting, he last year was appointed to the city of Salem’s finance committee to help prepare its annual budget, collect taxes and levies, present bond proposals and manage employee salaries, according to the release.

"I’m going to work very hard to strive to be the best city administrator I can be," Relford said in the release. "I’ll do everything I can to make this city a better place, and I know I have a good team here to support me. I just ask for your patience. At the end of the day, I see good things happening.”