Thank you Chuck Simmons

Best of luck, success and happiness to Chuck Simmons as he coasts into retirement.  He had been with the town of Holly Springs for 16 years, starting as Assistant Manager, then interim Town Manager, and finally appointed as the Town Manager about six years ago.  Holly Springs has truly benefitted from his service to the town.  I personally benefitted from his knowledge of municipal government and his wise counsel.

Although Chuck’s loss will be felt in town hall, we are in good hands with Assistant Manager and interim Town Manager Daniel Weeks.  Daniel knows this town as well as anyone.  He has progressed through the ranks starting as an college intern many years ago.  He is also someone I relied on for his vast knowledge of municipal government operations.

The Town Manager position has been widely advertised on the NCLM website and other media, so the net is pretty broad  to get good applicants.  The basic responsibilities of the manager are included in GS 160A-148, however, how the manager runs the town varies by the expectations of the governing body.  In a Council-Manager form of the government, the mayor and council do not get intimately involved in the day-to-day town operations.

As much as the manager is accountable to the mayor and council, s/he is not intended to be the personal servant for every one of their wishes and whims.   The manager is really a part of the council team but has the unique responsibility to challenge and educate the council….Chuck did!    The manager is required to see council initiatives implemented, but a good manager will also challenge the mayor and council by letting them know when they are treading in dangerous or uncertain waters.   This is important as a majority of the council members are relatively new, lack significant municipal experience and will  require this guidance from a town manager.

The town council took a good first step by hiring a search firm to coordinate the recruitment.    Hopefully the search firm will deliver some good candidates for them to interview.   We have no choice but to trust that they will select the best person to serve, not just the mayor and council members, but most importantly, the citizens of this town.