The City of Asheville has announced the appointment of DK Wesley, the new city manager. Wesley will officially begin the position on Monday, Jan. 12, following Debra Campbell's retirement — assistant city manager Ben Woody is serving as interim city manager during the transition.

Wesley comes to the position with 25+ years of experience in local government, most recently serving as an assistant county manager with Buncombe County Government for the past six and a half years.

“I look forward to supporting the Mayor and City Council, investing in a strong organizational culture, and partnering with the community to build a thriving, resilient, and inclusive future for all Asheville residents,” Wesley said in a news release.

What exactly does a city manager do?

The City of Asheville operates under a manager-council form of government — the most popular form for cities with 5,000+ citizens — where an elected city council determines policy and hires a professional, non-partisan city manager to handle day-to-day city operations, execute policies voted on by council, and ensure the entire community is being served.

Major responsibilities of the city manager are preparing, presenting, and implementing the city’s annual budget while leading a team of nearly 1,400 full-time employees across 27 departments.

The position has nine direct reports, including two assistant city managers, and assistant to the manager, plus the departments of Police, Fire, Human Resources, Finance and Management Services, Human Relations, Anti-Discrimination and Compliance, and Community and Regional Entertainment Facilities.