02/14/06 — Mount Olive could hire assistant town manager Wednesday

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Mount Olive could hire assistant town manager Wednesday

By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on February 14, 2006 1:51 PM

MOUNT OLIVE -- The Mount Olive Town Board will meet in executive session Wednesday morning, prior to a work session, to discuss personnel.

The town is looking for a new assistant town manager to eventually replace retiring Town Manager Ray McDonald.

Two of the candidates for the job said they could attend the work session planned for Wednesday morning if they were hired earlier, but search committee member Jimmy Kornegay said he doesn't expect to see either one of them at the meeting.

State law permits local government boards to discuss personnel issues in private and then vote in open session afterward. Town commissioners could vote on the issue of hiring a new assistant town manager, but Kornegay said he doesn't know what will be discussed during the executive session.

Commissioners had said they had hoped to have an assistant manager in place in time for the start of budget discussions, which normally start with the February work session.

McDonald has served as town manager for seven years. The town board wants him to stay on to help train the assistant manager so that he or she can take over as town manager.

Board members started the search in January, received 15 applications and then conducted final interviews last week.

McDonald said Monday he attended the interview of the last two people being considered for the job, and he feels good about the town's choices.

"Both are really good applicants," he said. "I was pleased with the interview. Both did well, and both are qualified to do the job."