In 2004, John Ward was not looking for a new job.
Ward was serving as city manager in Fulton, his hometown, when Richard Nash, then city administrator for Calvert City, called him. Nash was preparing to retire and told Ward he thought he would be a good candidate for the position.
Ward did not apply.
He enjoyed Fulton and had no plans to leave. Sometime later, he ran into Nash and learned the search had not worked out.
“He looked me dead in the eye and said, ‘You need to apply,’” Ward said. “It was like a higher power was telling me that I should apply.”
Ward took the advice.
He began serving as Calvert City administrator on Dec. 20, 2004. Now, after 22 years with the city, Ward is preparing for retirement.
His first year came with plenty of lessons.
Ward remembers a snow event just before Christmas, only a few days after he started. Being new and gung ho, John was prepared to stay overnight at City Hall to make sure everything was covered.
Then Mayor Lynn Jones told him otherwise.
“Lynn said, ‘No, you aren’t staying the night here. You’re going home,’” Ward said.
Ward said Jones helped make the transition to Calvert City an easy one and also helped him learn that Calvert City operated differently from other communities where he had worked.
Over the next two decades, Ward helped guide Calvert City through changes that are still visible today. He was instrumental in developing zoning for the city, helped move forward improvements throughout the park system and worked to establish long-term plans for city infrastructure.
One of those efforts was the development of a road-paving schedule that gave the city a better way to plan and budget for street improvements instead of simply reacting when problems arose.
Ward said the city has also become more focused on looking ahead.
“Calvert City is much more progressive now,” Ward said. “It has started to bloom. We are looking at strategic plans and looking more at long-term planning instead of just the day-to-day.”
Calvert City has always operated with a relatively small staff, and Ward said the ability of those employees has been one of the city’s greatest strengths.
“We have a small workforce, but we have good equipment and well-trained people,” Ward said. “They can produce just as much as a large workforce because of the talent we have.”
When asked what he is most proud of from his time with the city, Ward does not point to one project.
He points to the people he worked with.
“My goal was to build a good team,” Ward said. “They know what they are doing and they know how to work together. My success has always been built on their ability.”
Ward said he never believed a city administrator needed to have every answer.
“I don’t have to know everything,” he said. “I put people in place that do know, and I depend on them and trust them.”
Mayor Gene Colburn said Ward’s work over the past 22 years has helped position Calvert City for the future.
“John has had a hand in so much of what people see in Calvert City today, from our roads and infrastructure to our parks and long-term planning,” Colburn said. “But I think one of his greatest accomplishments is the team he helped build. He trusted his employees to do their jobs and gave them the tools they needed to be successful. Calvert City is better because of John’s years of service.”
Ward’s career in public service extends well beyond his time in Calvert City. He served 3 1/2 years in the U.S. Navy and 2 1/2 years in the Army National Guard. He also spent 20 years in law enforcement, including 16 years of active service and four years as a part-time reserve officer.
In all, Ward has spent more than 41 years in public service.
He credits Nash and former Paducah City Administrator Jim Zumwalt as two of the people who helped guide him along the way.
“If I had a question, I could call Richard or Jim,” Ward said. “They would take the time to answer the question or help me work the answer out.”
Nash also helped shape Ward’s early impression of Calvert City.
“I heard my entire time in Fulton about the quality of people in Calvert City,” Ward said.
After 22 years, Ward said those people are what he will miss most.
“Calvert City is a family, and the city itself is a family,” he said. “This is my home. I love the people. I am not from Calvert City, but they accepted me and welcomed me.”
As he leaves the city administrator’s office, Ward has one message for the employees who will continue the work.
“Keep the teamwork. Keep the brotherhood,” he said. “Understand that you are working for the people of Calvert City. You aren’t working for yourself. Keep others first, and it will all come together.”
Ward said retirement will give him a chance to catch up on things he has not had time to do. He and his wife, Katie, have been married for 15 years, and he looks forward to spending more quality time with her, traveling and enjoying one of his favorite hobbies, participating in war reenactments.
But he does not plan to stop being involved.
“I’m not done working. That day will never come,” Ward said. “It’s my community, and I want to be part of it.”
Ward is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin and remains a Tennessee fan, something his Kentucky coworkers have learned to tolerate over the years.
A retirement reception honoring Ward will be held Sept. 29 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park Lodge. The community is invited to stop by and recognize his 22 years of service to Calvert City.