The city of Ironton now has a chief for its health department and a new dog warden.

George Disney was hired Oct. 11 as the health department's sanitarian in training.

Disney, 28, is a 1994 graduate of Ironton high School and earned a degree in Industrial Hygiene from Ohio University, Athens. He had previously worked for the Lawrence County Health Department.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for me," Disney said. "I look forward to serving the community." Disney said his first days on the job have been spent "Getting caught up (on work) where no one had been in that position for a while."

"I am very pleased that Mr. Disney accepted the position of sanitarian-in-training," Mayor John Elam said. "I think he will be an asset to the city since he is a hometown boy. He knows the process involved in the job. This will enable us to have a much quicker response time on complaints and the resolution of issues."

Also, George Wilson was hired Wednesday as the city's new dog warden. Wilson, a retired construction worker, said he took the job at the behest of

Ironton Police Chief Bill Garland. "He asked me if I would do it and I kind of couldn't tell him 'no'," Wilson said. "I will do the job and I will do it right."

Wilson, who will perform services on an as-needed basis for $7.40 per hour- a wage that Garland admits was a stumbling block to finding someone who would take the job. Still, Garland said he is glad for the help: the police department fields literally dozens of complaints about dogs running loose each week and Wilson seemed like a good fit for the job.

"We've been contemplating George for about two months now. He lives in town; he's older, doesn't have any other job," Garland said. "We were looking for someone we can count on 24 hours a day to handle calls."