By ELIOT DUKE
Of the Record staff
Harnett County knew it would be getting a new county manager at some point in 2021, just not so soon.
County Manager Paula Stewart in March announced her retirement effective June 30 after serving in the position for three years and 25 years with the county. On May 14, however, Stewart told the Harnett County Board of Commissioners that she was taking a leave of absence through the remainder of her tenure.
She designated George Wood as acting county manager on her way out.
Commissioners, on Monday, accepted the move and unanimously approved Wood to the position where he will serve until Stewart’s official retirement date at the end of June. Commissioners can then name Wood the Interim County Manager until they find a permanent replacement.
Interim Clerk to the Board Lindsey Lucas administered the oath of office during the May 17 commissioner’s meeting.
“I look forward to working with the Board of Commissioners, county staff, and the community in this interim period,” Wood said.
Wood previously served as Buncombe County’s interim county manager in 2018 and 2019, and brings decades of local government administration experience to the position. Wood spent 30 years as a city manager in municipalities in Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina. He also worked as the county manager in Wayne and Lincoln counties.
“We are very appreciative that Mr. Wood has agreed to serve as our acting and interim county manager as we transition and search for a permanent manager,” Commissioners Chairman Brooks Matthews said in a release. “Mr. Wood brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from his past years of service as both a municipal and county manager. He is already working hard for the staff and citizens of Harnett County.”
Wood earned his Master’s degree in public administration from the University of Kansas, and is a former member of the State Library Board of North Carolina, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners’ Risk Management Board of Directors, and the North Carolina City and County Management Association.
Commissioners also hired Melissa Capps as the new clerk to the Board of Commissioners. Capps will assume her new duties on June 14 after former Clerk to the Board Gina Wheeler retired on April 1.
“It is an honor to have been selected to serve as clerk to the Board for the Harnett County Board of Commissioners,” Capps said. “I look forward to working with everyone and getting to learn more about Harnett County.”
In his first day on the job, Wood on Monday said he wanted to look at Gov. Roy Cooper’s recent scale back of COVID-19 restrictions and its impact on Harnett County.
“What I would like to recommend since I just walked in the door this morning, I’d like to ask that you give us about two weeks and let us come back with a proposed policy on this matter,” said Wood. “One of things we want to particularly pay attention to is the infection rates. Testing positive is an important number to look at, but the more important number is how many cases required hospitalization. That’s the ones that are serious.
“It also gives us two weeks to see how retail and people in the community are reacting to this order. It just happened [May 14] so we don’t know what some of the retailers are going to do.”
Cooper’s order rescinded many indoor and outdoor gathering and social distancing limits as well as mask requirements for vaccinated people.
Eliot Duke can be reached at eduke@mydailyrecord.com or at 910-230-2038.
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May 21, 2021 at 01:00PM
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Wood named interim manager - The Daily Record
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