James to hang up his city hat

After almost 28 years of serving the city of Newcastle in some capacity, City Clerk-Treasurer Greg James will officially retire effective March 11. The Newcastle City Council accepted his retirement announcement on Feb. 7 during its regular meeting. 
The council also voted to appoint Stacy Haggerty, the deputy clerk-treasurer, to fill the position vacated by James. She will officially take over on March 14. 
Over his tenure with the city, James has served as a councilman, mayor and clerk-treasurer. He said that his many years in the various roles has had its challenges but that, overall, he has enjoyed serving the community in different capacities. 
While James said he is excited to begin his retirement, he plans on being available to Haggerty and anyone else that may need to access his knowledge. 
“The one thing I can’t share (with Haggerty) is the 28 years of municipal government experience I have from the three positions I have served in,” James said, noting that he can provide insight and help to ease the transition. 
“Stacy (Haggerty) is very well qualified with what she has learned and has been trusted with over the years. This will be the smoothest possible transition by far,” James said. “Sometimes, it is easier to promote from within. Stacy does well with the public and the added responsibilities. She has already learned most of the mechanics of this job.” 
With his retirement, James said, he plans to do all of the fun things he always wanted to do but never had the time. This includes meeting one of the 20 grandkids he has not had the opportunity to greet in person. 
“I am going to spend time with my grandkids, spend more time riding motorcycles and spend more time on projects – for my grandkids,” James said. 
“I have been thinking about it and with my age, it is just time to pull the plug and stay home,” he added. “I won’t be sitting in the rocking chair, though. That isn’t retirement for me.”