The Hartley Sentinel-The Everly/Royal News - Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties

There's a new face leading operations of Hartley's utilities and infrastructure.

Tony Weatherman began serving as the city's public works superintendent last week. He currently lives in Spirit Lake and was interested in the job thanks to past experience working for Sioux Center's natural gas department.

"It was nice working in a family atmosphere, so I was interested in moving back into a city position," he said.

Weatherman was one of two candidates who were interviewed for the job, which was previously held by Curtis Conaway. His first few days have been slow as he eases into the position and learns about the operation of Hartley's utilities, streets and water infrastructure.

While natural gas is in his wheelhouse, Weatherman admitted he's a bit green in other departments.

"Water and sewer aren't my cup of tea, so I will be learning about those slowly as I come along," he said.

A native of the Iowa Great Lakes area, Weatherman graduated from Okoboji High School in 2005. He has served the last 19 years in the Iowa National Guard and logged three deployments to Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.

He and his wife, Lindsay, currently reside in Spirit Lake with their 8-year-old son, Sam. Weatherman enjoys golfing, traveling, and spending time with his friends and family when he's not working or on Guard duty.

He looked forward to serving the City With a Heart and was eager to get going as Hartley's new public works superintendent.

"It's a city full of nice people," he said. "It feels like there's a lot to build on in this town and a lot of opportunities to expand on what's here."