MARSHALL - The Madison County planning and zoning administrator position remained unfilled for roughly 18 months, but the county announced its new hire this month. Tom Herdelin's first day as Madison County planning and zoning administrator was June 10. His salary is $55,000 annually.
Originally from New Jersey, Herdelin practiced law for nearly 25 years, primarily practicing solo in the South Jersey region. During that time, Herdelin also served on a planning board. Herdelin also represented both applicants requesting variances, as well as opposing neighbors who had presented requests for neighbors.
"So, I'm loosely familiar with the process as a board member and as an attorney representing," Herdelin said. "The legal concepts of land use and planning are familiar to me." Herdelin said acquainting himself with the North Carolina laws, as well as the "scope and objectives of the community" will be two of the things he plans to tackle first.
"I look at this as an opportunity to help the boards as they steward their neighborhoods, and make sure that development occurs in a responsible fashion," Herdelin said. "I think an overarching concern of planning boards is, 'Don't make decisions for today. You make decisions for down the road,' and you see what decisions in the past have presented to you, hopefully, or the absence of decisions, and you seek to avoid it going forward by setting up good guardrails.
" Additionally, one of the first objectives Herdelin laid out is bringing him.
