ORANGE PARK — At the July 21 Orange Park Town Hall meeting, the search for a new town manager officially came to a close.

And in a unanimous 5-0 vote, interim town manager Gary Goble was selected for the permanent position.

Goble is a familiar face in the community. He served in law enforcement for 35 years, spending almost 13 of those years as the Orange Park Police Chief, before retiring in 2024. Following his retirement, he could still be found all over Clay County running his family’s snow cone truck, Hawaii FYVE-Sno.

He returned to community leadership as interim town manager on May 30 after Joseph Taylor stepped down from the role. The search for a permanent town manager had been ongoing for the past two months.

“We’re out here looking for a town manager when we have one already here," said Councilman Randy Anderson.

Mayor Winnette Sandlin echoed Anderson's thoughts, praising Goble’s years of faithful dedication to the community.

“He knows the people in the town intimately. He’s an outstanding leader, and that’s what we want," she said.

Lieutenant Joel Grant was sworn in as the new Assistant Chief of Police at the beginning of the meeting. Mayor Sandlin pointed to him and the rest of the "fine police department” as examples of Goble’s exemplary leadership skills and commitment to helping others.

Goble's starting salary as permanent town manager will be $160,000 a year, the same minimum offered in the job listing. As Councilman Anderson said, it was only fair to offer Goble the same minimum that an outside hire would have received.

Goble's contract consists of three years, with the possibility of two additional three-year extensions, and he has hit the ground running in the new role.

The Town Council of Orange Park meets at 7 p.m. every first and third Tuesday of the month in the Meeting Council Chambers, 2042 Park Ave. For more information, visit townoforangepark.com.