New staffers focus on service, communication
Magnuson takes on the role of Town recorder, which Town administrator David Smoak held until Magnuson was hired near the end of last month.
“I’m excited,” Magnuson said. “It’s like coming back home."
Magnuson was a planning technician for Highlands County Board of County Commissioners in Florida in 2023 and deputy clerk with Highlands County Clerk of Circuit Court from 2014 to 2023.
“I moved here from Florida in 2024,” she said. “I took a job here [with the Town] as an admin assistant in June of 2024. I used to do the [Farragut Municipal] Planning Commission minutes with [Community Development director] Mark [Shipley].
“I left this year to go to the city of Oak Ridge [as a deputy court clerk], but then the Town recorder’s position was open, so I’m back,” she said.
“I love it,” O’Malley said about her new position. “It’s a wonderful group of people, from everyone here at Town Hall to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
“I’m very fortunate to get to work with such a great group of people,” she added.
O’Malley comes to Farragut from her work as a social media and digital marketing manager with Blount Partnership, an umbrella organization for Blount County Chamber of Commerce, Blount County Industrial Development Board, Smoky Mountain Tourism Association and Workforce Development.
“I live over here, so the opportunity to work close to home was something that was very appealing to me,” she said. “I also love the Town of Farragut.
“My family moved to this area in 2020, and I feel like it’s an ideal place to live.
“I also was interested in this role, managing communications for the Town,” O’Malley said. “It will be my job to be the liaison between the Town and the community.”
Magnuson is staff member to whom the public goes for records requests. She said her goals for the role are to “keep accurate records that are easy to access and that is an all-around pleasant experience for those who need them.
“Looking up a record or asking a question shouldn’t be a hassle,” she said. “That’s what I’m here for.
“I want to help the residents find what they’re looking for quickly and they get that pleasant, wonderful smile,” Manguson added. “I love people. I’m a talker.
“I know no stranger,” she said. “I get that from my mother.”
While in Florida, Manguson was in county government for 10 years, of which seven were in official records.
“My last year was in planning and development, so I’m familiar with the records process, how things are recorded, official documents, minutes and whatnot,” she said. “I came up here [to Tennessee], and when I was in planning and
development, I got to learn the inner workings of Farragut, the departments.
“O’Malley said her goals are to “consistently provide timely information and transparency to people of the community and to make sure that we also listen to the citizens of Farragut and bring their concerns to Town Hall and the Board of Mayor and Aldermen so that we can have an ongoing dialogue between [Town] administration and the community.
“I absolutely believe in local government and being able to be the person who tells the Town story is something that is very exciting to me,” she said, adding she wants people to feel comfortable bringing their questions.
