Assistant county manager hired; will start work in December
By Steve Herring
Published in News on November 13, 2014 1:46 PM
The county manager for Harnett County has been hired as Wayne County's first-ever assistant county manager.
The hiring of Tommy Burns was announced Wednesday afternoon by Wayne County Manager George Wood. Burns will begin work Dec. 2.
Wayne County commissioners created the position in August by expanding the duties of the Office of Emergency Services director. That job was left vacant in late May after longtime county employee Joe Gurley retired and was appointed to a vacant seat on the commission.
Burns will supervise the OES office and human resources as well as others that have yet to be determined.
The county received 50 applications for the job, and eight candidates were interviewed by Wood. No commissioners participated or sat in on the interviews, and the hire was made by Wood.
Burns' annual salary will be $100,000, about $20,000 more than what Gurley made as OES director.
"But of course we are adding other departments (to manage)," Wood said.
Burns also will receive a $400 monthly car allowance.
Burns has served as Harnett County manager since April 2013. Prior to that he spent seven years as a city manager, having worked in Coats, Lillington, the Harnett County seat, and Spring Lake.
According to the 2010 census, Harnett County, located southwest of Wayne, has a population of 114,678 compared to Wayne County's 122,623. Harnett County is the home of Campbell University and its southwestern border is near Fort Bragg.
Burns holds a bachelor of arts degree in history, a master's degree in investment management from Campbell University and a master's degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
He also is a graduate of the County and Municipal Administration Course at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Burns is a credentialed manager through the International City/County Management Association.
"We are very pleased to have Tommy Burns join the Wayne County management team," Wood said. "Given that all of his experiences is in North Carolina, he knows the laws, administrative regulations and key issues affecting counties in this state.
"That will allow him to make the transition smoothly and hit the ground running."