Cleveland Grimes, who long served as the executive director of Hamilton County's Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority, died Tuesday evening. He was 58.
"Cleveland was an inspiring leader, who was always positive, always optimistic, unfailingly polite and always committed to do the right thing in a very, very difficult job," WWTA Chairman Mike Moon said in a released statement. Moon called Grimes "a friend to the board and to the entire 28-member staff of the WWTA, who he considered his family."
Grimes, who worked for Hamilton County for 35 years, led the WWTA during a period of controversy that has fueled recent efforts by Bo Watson, the speaker pro tempore of the Tennessee Senate, to put an end to the agency, which serves unincorporated areas and a number of municipalities within the county.
The agency was troubled by disruptions to customer billing and costly federal and state orders intended to prevent raw sewage from flowing into the Tennessee River - the source of drinking water for many residents - after heavy rainfall.
A number of county commissioners voiced respect for Grimes' character and good nature at the panel's Wednesday meeting.
Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger spoke at length about the challenges facing Grimes in his role at WWTA.
"He took over at the time that the EPA was changing their rules so the goalpost was continuously moving and we spent a lot of time talking about that and answering complaints," Coppinger said.
He said Grimes was the most knowledgeable person in the county about wastewater treatment and was criticized constantly.
"The only thing I regret is that I didn't speak out more on his behalf," Coppinger said of meetings in which Grimes' character was attacked.
Funeral arrangements are pending.