The Smyrna City Council acknowledged the unexpected loss of Public Works Director Eric Randall, who died unexpectedly on New Years Eve.

“We had a difficult day yesterday,” said Mayor Derek Norton. “We went to the funeral of our public works director, Eric Randall.”

“Many of you knew Eric,” he said. “Eric had a long tenure with the city. He was our city engineer for years and then he left and then we lured him back and he ended up becoming our public works director.”

“Eric was a good man, and you could just see by the crowd yesterday and all the testimony given from some of the folks there, what a lasting impact he had and just what a tremendous human being he was, Norton said. “So we’re going to miss him a lot. We’re going to miss his terrible puns that he was so proud of, and it’s just sad to see him go.”

Ward 3 Councilman Travis Lindley said “I would echo that. Mr. Mayor, he was a dedicated public servant.”

“It was a very hard time for his family and for our city staff, some of which are here tonight,” Lindley said. “so we continue to remember him and his family.”

Ward 2 Councilwoman Latonia Hines said, “They often say that let the works that I’ve done speak for me.”

“And we can definitely say here in the city of Smyrna that the work that Eric did during his tenure, both 10 years, really spoke to what a wonderful, dedicated part of our family he was, and also for his dedication to his family.”

“That was another aspect that we got a chance to see yesterday,” Hines said. “So don’t take it lightly. He will definitely be missed. And so just prayers, continued prayers for his wife and his stepdaughter and the rest of his family.”

District 4 Councilman Charles Welch said, “I’ll be very brief, but I want to echo the same thing that everyone else has said.”

“I worked with Eric both terms that he was here and he was very well fitted to be a city engineer, public works director, and all of the roles that he ever filled here,” he said. “And as the mayor said, the turnout for the funeral yesterday and the things that were said by the individuals that were there were remarkable.”

District 5 Councilwoman Susan Wilkerson said, “I had the privilege and to work with Eric early also when he was here the first time and was very happy when he returned to the city.”

“I enjoyed working with Eric a lot,” she said. “And one of the things I’ve said about him is how he never minded explaining things, and I always like a lot of explanations and ask a lot of questions. And he was always very good and kind about that, explaining things.”

“And also want to keep his family and his wife and his stepdaughter and his parents as well, that he was taken care of and keep them in our prayers,” she said. “And just also add that I had forgotten that Eric had mentioned this to me, but he had moved his parents down here from, I think it was North Carolina when they had the hurricanes up there.”

“And the home that they were living in was flooded and Eric had moved his parents down here and they were, I don’t know if y’all know, but they were at Delmar Gardens here in Smyrna and they’re still there,” Wilkerson said.

Ward 6 and Mayor Pro Tem Tim Gould said, “Eric was a pleasure to work with. And maybe I had an affinity for his sense of humor as being another dorky engineer. I found his jokes surprisingly funny.”

“And he was a great guy and he was never worried about giving you a very detailed answer. And as you said earlier, Mister mayor, time was maybe not on his top of his mind, but the sharing information and explaining his thoughts and telling jokes really was his priority,” Gould said.

Norton said, “I think it was described yesterday by somebody close to him as they were poking a little bit of fun in a dark moment was he had a laid back lackadaisical relationship with time. And I thought that was well put.”

Later in the meeting, the council appointed Deputy Public Works Director Paul Osburn, Jr. as interim Public Works Director. Osburn is the Deputy Public Works Director and has been serving as interim Water and Sewer Director.