Our View

Our View

Hicks a great hire as city engineer

Our sincere congratulations go out to Amanda Hicks, who was recently given the position of West Memphis city engineer, replacing Phillip Sorrell who now is the city’s full-time Economic Development director.

It is obvious from her impressive resume that Hicks will be a tremendous asset to this county’s largest municipality. While it is notable that Hicks is a University of Memphis alumna, we’re certainly impressed with the fact that she has experience working with the Arkansas Department of Transportation, worked for the West Memphis Utilities and fully understands the city’s projects as they relate to the state highway department’s standards.

She has dealt with constructing highways, doing overlays, inspections as well as extensive field work while working as an intern with the highway department for four years.

West Memphis is fortunate to have such an experienced individual with such knowledge especially when it comes to dealing with the city’s road and highway projects.

To her advantage is the fact that she is very familiar with West Memphis and Crittenden County in that she attended West Memphis Christian during most of her school days and graduated from West Memphis High School before moving on to the University of Memphis. It is also important to know that she, her husband and three children have made West Memphis their home which, to us, means she is committed to being an important part of this city’s future.

During her recent interview with the Times, Hicks made it clear that her knowledge and experience in engineering, “will go a long way in helping out in the community, and being a part of the bigger picture.”

West Memphians should be glad to know that their experienced engineer has deep family ties here and is excited to use her experience in a professional way that will improve the quality of life for everyone.

We should certainly commend city leaders behind the selection and hiring of Hicks and for recognizing her vast assets that will certainly complement the professional leadership that exists in West Memphis.

When it comes down to evaluating the needs of West Memphis we feel confident that she will respond to the needs of this city in a highly professional manner and without being swayed by political pressure or influence from elected officials attempting to score “brownie points” with their constituents.

With that factor in mind, it will important that Hicks makes it vividly clear to all concerned that her decisions and actions will be based solely on priority, facts and actual needs.

We have no doubt whatsoever that Hicks is fully aware, with her experienced at the state level and even her work with the city’s utilities, how politics work and how political pressure for self-serving causes is totally unjustified in her role as city engineer.

We, once again, congratulate Amanda Hicks in her new role with West Memphis and know she can and will accomplish the tasks before her in a very professional manner.