Mount Olive starts search for manager
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on January 8, 2006 2:06 AM
MOUNT OLIVE --The search for a new Mount Olive town manager will officially start this week, officials said.
A search committee has been formed and will begin running a classified ad Tuesday announcing that the town is accepting resumes from interested and qualified individuals to assist Town Manager Ray McDonald until his planned retirement later this year.
Chairing the search committee is Mayor Ruff Huggins. Assisting are town clerk Arlene Talton and commissioners Ray Thompson and Jimmy Kornegay.
The committee is looking for someone to start out as assistant, but who will be able to take the job permanently when the time comes.
"We got to thinking about what would be the best approach," Huggins said. "We thought it would take somebody who had a large amount of information so they would be able to go forward when Ray retires. We want to get somebody in here to spend time with him, pick his brain and get knowledge and experience."
Huggins said the committee's objective is a smooth transition.
The committee hopes, he said, this next town manager will stay as long as McDonald has.
"Town managers change jobs frequently, and although it's not as frequently as board members, we need somebody who will be with us permanently."
Huggins said McDonald has told the board it can still call on him from time to time.
Requirements for the job include a four-year degree in business or public administration and an excellent history of leadership and management skills. The board prefers that the applicant have previous experience with municipal government.
The board will advertise for the position until Jan. 31.
"We've already received four resumes, unsolicited, from people who knew the job would be available," Huggins said. "After Jan. 31, we will start screening. That will move along pretty quickly and probably take a couple weeks. Sometime in February, we'll get down to the personal interviews, and from that point, you never know how long it's going to take."