Gardner has new management team

Gardner has a new management team on board, with at least one familiar face to long-time Gardner residents.
Laura Gourley was named as interim city administrator, effective Sept. 17, 2018.
Gourley is the granddaughter of Melvin Argo, who was Gardner’s mayor from 1957-1959. One of Gourley’s first jobs was working as typesetter for The Gardner News while still in Gardner Edgerton High School. She recalls typing into a machine and the type printed out on long, white sheets that was pasted to the page. She and Ruth Lundy, formerly of the Gardner Police Department, would then proofread, she said.
Gourley has been a Gardner city employee for nearly 30 years, spending the past 13 years as the finance department director. During her tenure, she has played an instrumental role on numerous projects and initiatives, including but not limited to, developing the annual budget and first biennial budget, evaluating incentive packages to support economic development projects, serving on strategic planning teams, and helping the city maintain an AA- bond investment rating through refinancing and wise investments. As the finance director, Gourley oversaw the accounting, utility billing, and municipal court divisions as well as the city’s grant program.
Gourley attended Baker University where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, graduating summa cum laude.

(Read more: Gardner News)