Newly elected White County Executive Kyle Goff is preparing to lead the county in a new direction following a successful campaign focused on leadership and vision.
Goff said the current political climate was ready for a shift in leadership during this election cycle. Goff said the county commission will see significant turnover with 11 of the 14 seats expected to be filled by new members.
“It feels overwhelming, I’m extremely grateful,” Goff said. “I’m just, I’m overcome with gratitude for the amount of support that has been shown and I’m ready to get to work.”
Goff said his administration will prioritize rebuilding relationships between the executive office and various county departments, local governments, and municipalities. Goff said he intends to implement strict financial oversight by conducting an external audit of the budget to identify and eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse.
“Yeah, I mean I do think it was time to see White County moving in a new direction with new leadership and a new vision,” Goff said. “We’re going to start right away, Larry. I don’t sit still very long, so we’re going to move fast.”
Goff said the county will invest in emergency services and infrastructure while developing strategies to manage local growth. Goff said he plans to be transparent with the public about the learning curves associated with his new role.
“There’s going to be learning curves, but I’m going to try to open source it and as I learn, we’re going to push that out to the public and we’re going to learn together,” Goff said. “We gotta build back some relationships, that’s going to be the first key. I’ve seen several broken relationships between the County Executive office and various county departments and other local governments and new municipalities.”
Goff said he will transition away from his current role as CEO of the Sparta YMCA to focus on his duties as county executive. Goff said the organization will appoint an interim leader and begin a search for a permanent replacement.
“That’s got a special place in my heart, it has changed my life, and I’ll always be there for the Y,” Goff said. “We will appoint an interim CEO to bridge the gap and we’re going to start an application and search process pretty quick.”
Goff said he will remain available to the Sparta YMCA for consulting and advisement even after he officially leaves the position.
