Hitting the ground running: Herms takes over as manager in Valdese

The first day on a new job can be a bit overwhelming. That’s especially true if your new job is running a town.

Todd Herms had such a day Monday when he began his tenure as Town Manager in Valdese, which had gone 16 months without a permanent manager.

Tuesday, during a brief respite from the whirlwind, Herms reclined in the desk chair in his spacious, comfortable office.

A row of windows runs the length of the room and provides a view of the historic stretch of railroad track where the first group of Waldensian pilgrims disembarked in 1893. It’s a fitting co-location: past and future in sight of one another.

About the only personal touches he’s had time to add are some pictures of his wife, Melissa, and their four children, and a Western Carolina University Catamounts football plaque.

“Like drinking from a fire hose,” Herms laughed, when describing his Monday. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Reading policies, filling out forms for taxes, and different things like any other job. I got to meet with a few department heads, looked at some budget stuff. And then the Town Council meeting.”

Tall, affable, and quick with a smile, he speaks with more than a hint of a ‘down east’ accent, the hallmark of having grown up on a turkey farm in Anson County.

Herms, 45, is the sixth of seven children and the only person in his family to finish high school.

After graduation from Anson High, he worked with his brother in a successful plumbing business for four and a half years before enrolling at WCU in hopes of eventually becoming a lawyer.

But after hearing a town manager speak to a student group, he decided to switch career paths. An internship with the City of Asheville further cemented his decision.

Working as a plumber on weekends, he paid his way through school and earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees — a master’s in public affairs with a concentration in public administration and human resources — in just four years.

After a short stint as manager of tiny Badin in Stanly County, Herms became town manager of Maiden and spent 16 years there.

Before coming to Valdese, Herms launched a brief, seven-month foray into county government as manager of neighboring Alexander County. But he quickly learned municipalities were a better fit.

“I wanted to try my hand at county, but it became apparent very early on that I am more suited to municipal stuff,” he said. “A lot of the stuff like public health, DSS (Department of Social Services) or the school board can’t be touched. I’m more suited to hands-on, direct services to the citizens.”

One vital component of delivering those services is listening to people’s concerns, a process that was already in full swing by Tuesday morning: During Herms’ visit to the doctor for routine bloodwork, a resident bent his ear for a good 15 minutes about what the town needs.

Herms loves interactions like that, because they indicate folks have a high level of civic interest.

That certainly seems to be the case in Valdese, where monthly council meetings often draw a long list of speakers during the public comments portion.

“I think Valdese has a lot of potential, because a lot of people care about the town,” Herms said. “That’s very important. You’ve got a lot of people who are lackadaisical when it comes to the government nowadays.

“But I can see already there are a lot of people who care about the town and government and want it to be successful. They want it to be run as well as possible.”

He’s eager to get started doing just that.

“I think I’m most excited about getting with the staff, which has one of the best reputations of any staff in the region, and seeing what projects the elected officials are prioritizing,” Herms said, “and just roll my sleeves up and get in there and get to work on something.”