Salisbury City Manager W. Lane Bailey has appointed Assistant City Manager John Sofley to lead the public services and parks and recreation divisions, after nearly a year of Sofley managing the business efforts of Fibrant, the municipality’s fiber-to-the-home network.

He will continue to oversee Salisbury Transit, telecommunications, video programming contracts and Fibrant regulatory compliance. The management change is effective immediately.

Sofley, a nearly 30-year city employee, was responsible for the management of Fibrant, infrastructure services and its related departments. One of Sofley’s first tasks while working with Fibrant was to hire a customer service manager at the Customer Service Center.

“We have now reached a point where the Customer Service Center has been steadied,” said Bailey. “John’s business and financial experience really came through for us during a challenging transition period, and for that we are grateful. As we enter the new year, it is now a prime opportunity for John to lend his talents to some of our other departments within the city.”

“I look forward to what this next chapter will bring in working with public services, including stormwater services, and parks and recreation. One area in particular on which I will focus is staffing levels for public services and parks and recreation,” said Sofley. “These positions are critical to servicing our residents in an efficient manner.”

Kent Winrich, director of infrastructure services, will now report directly to Bailey, while the Customer Service Center operations will be placed within the finance department.

Sofley holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western Carolina University, and is a certified public accountant. He previously oversaw the finance department before being appointed assistant city manager in 2011.