Reception welcomes new county manager
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on June 26, 2014 1:46 PM
George Wood has officially moved from interim to full-time Wayne County manager, and a reception was held in his honor on Wednesday afternoon at the Lane Tree Golf Club.
"Initially I was brought in to help the county for five months until they could find a new manager," Wood said. "That mainly consisted of getting major projects completed and getting stop-gap issues taken care of."
Wood stood for two hours, shaking hands with well-wishers at the reception before he was able to sit down to eat dinner with his wife, Pamela.
Now, he said, it's time to look at long-range goals for the county.
"My main duty is to help the board get done what they want to get done," Wood said. I'll help them get the finances so they can get the projects done."
Wood was sworn in as county manager on June 3 to an initial 18-month term. When he was hired, no interviews were conducted. Commissioner Bill Pate made the motion to hire Wood, who has 36 years experience as a county manager. Pate chaired the interview committee for the position with commissioners Ray Mayo and Ed Cromartie. The motion was unanimously approved.
Wood came out of retirement to take the job, after accepting an initial term as interim manager in February.
He was paid $13,000 per month to be an interim manager, but will now be paid $175,000 a year, plus a $750 per month vehicle allowance, to take on the position full time.
Former manager Lee Smith was paid $50,000 more than the salary Wood accepted for the position. Commissioners have said that Wood will be evaluated on an annual basis.
"I'm delighted to be here," Wood said. "It's a great community, and we've been given a very warm welcome."