Jonathan Morr of Diggs begins his new job as Mathews County building official on May 15. He was appointed to the position on April 25 by the Mathews County Board of Supervisors.
Morr began his career in code enforcement five years ago in the Town of West Point, where he served as the building official. While there he obtained a number of certifications before accepting a position as a combination inspector for Gloucester County, where he has been an inspector for all trades, both residential and commercial.
Before his job in West Point, Morr was in the Virginia Air National Guard, where he worked as an aircraft fuel systems technician. Other jobs he held in the past were in various trade and contractor-type fields, from laborer to more technical positions, including a stint in wastewater treatment with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District.
A desire to always learn more has led Morr to obtain 15 certifications through the Commonwealth of Virginia and over 20 certifications through the International Code Council, including such certifications as plan review and property maintenance and inspections. He said his ultimate goal is to get an ICC Master Code Professional designation, which requires in-depth knowledge across a broad range of inspection topics.
“Every bit of education is going to help you be better in your job,” he said.
Among the goals Morr has in his new position is building good relationships with county contractors, business owners and homeowners. A lot of the job is education, he said, which involves explaining why something needs to be done in a certain way and then working together to get it done.
“I don’t want to come in with the haughty attitude that I’m just looking to fail you,” he said. “We all have the same goal—to get the job completed and get it done right.”
Another goal Morr hopes to pursue is working with county administration to see about improving the county’s Floodplain Management Ordinance. He said the better the county’s ordinance, the better the insurance rates are for county residents.
Born in Kentucky, Morr came to Virginia as a child and grew up in New Kent County, where his parents homeschooled him. He attended college as an adult, earning a bachelor’s degree from Liberty University in Interdisciplinary Studies, concentrating on government and religion.
Morr and his wife Victoria have been married for two years, and they have a blended family of six children, ranging from a 15-year-old to a 13-month-old.