A North Carolina manager was under the impression he was being fired without cause and would collect his $900,000 severance. The governing body said, “not so fast.”
A councilman says that “social media is a problem" and that the city needs to hire a dedicated staffer. The city manager says -- “Hey, I already hired someone who can do that job.”
And a police chief has been arrested after he stole $85,000 in city funds to help cover up his $4.4 million online gambling addiction.
All that and more news after the job postings.
Job Board Postings
It is free to post all of your senior and executive level recruitments over at the AAME job board. If you would like to include them in this newsletter, select the $199 option.
City/County Manager Recruitments
CO: Craig - City Manager (Until Filled) | in-house
IL: Streator - City Manager (3/23/2026) | Arndt Municipal Support
MO: Kirkwood - Chief Administrative Officer (3/6/2026) | CB-Assoc
SC: Blythewood - Town Manager (Until Filled) | Parker Poe Consulting
TX: Morgan’s Point Resort - City Manager (3/13/2026) | Clear Career
Other
IL: Village of St. Joseph - Public Works Director (2/23/2026) | in-house
PA: Cranberry Township - Director of Utilities (2/9/2026) | in-house
TX: Dumas - Finance Director (1/30/2025) | Clear Career
TX: Marble Falls - Finance Director (2/7/2026) | Clear Career
TX: Odessa - Chief Financial Officer (First Review 2/22/2026) | Clear Career
Competence Is No Longer Enough: The Quiet Shift in Local Government Leadership
Wildomar City Manager Chris Mann, who hosts the Gov360 podcast, put out an amazing episode this week. I wanted to share it all with you as I believe every city manager should listen to it.
He talks about how the landscape has changed and that many competent public sector executives are being terminated or pushed out because they have not evolved or adapted to the changing paradigm. What is great about this episode is that he also provides actionable guidance that each and everyone one of us can utilize to improve our relationships with our elected officials and lengthen our tenures. Check it out today:
NC: Onslow County Manager Says Board Agreed to $900,000 Severance Deal When He Resigned; They Claim They Fired Him For Cause
David Smitherman entered into a four-year contract with Onslow County which states that he is to be paid through the end of 2028 in the event of termination without cause. Estimates put that number north of $900,000.
The County stated that they are firing him for cause because he wouldn’t perform his duties. David Smitherman is throwing a flag on the play. First he says, “the board didn’t tell me they were planning to terminate my contract. They told me they were going to allow me to resign. And pay me out. What was due.”
Secondly, he maintains that he wouldn’t perform some of the requests by the board because it would have violated the ICMA Code of Ethics.
TX: Gunter’s On-Again, Off-Again Relationship with the Strong Mayor Form of Government
Years ago, Gunter had a city manager but then, in 2023, residents voted to change to a strong mayor government. At that point, things got messy.
Following the change, the entire city council stepped down and that’s when David Self was asked to step up. So he joined the council.
”It was a good experience, but it wasn’t something that I was looking to do."
He believes now is the right time to bring a city manager back into the mix and many residents agree with him. And so do the hundreds of residents who successfully petitioned for a special election this spring to flip Gunter back to the city manager form of government. The election is scheduled for May 2.
Massachusetts town adopts new emergency notification system after cyberattack on CodeRed
Marblehead (pop. 20,000) will switch to a new emergency notification system March 1, following a national cyberattack in November that compromised its current provider, CodeRed.
The town has contracted with Regroup for a one-year agreement at a cost of $6,500.
The company apparently offered up to $150,000 to the attackers, but it was rejected. The attack was so severe that CodeRed essentially had to rebuild the product from scratch.
News Around the Country
AL: Lipscomb mayor on social media alleges city corruption and confesses his sins with women
CA: Rose Institute presents survey of city manager profession at League of California Cities City Manager Conference
CO: Led by Erie mayor, council majority ousts town manager in 4-3 vote; Staff criticized the manner in which council treated manager and employees
CT: Arrest Warrant: New Haven Police Chief Bet $4.4M Online and stole $85,000 from city funds
ME: Saco city councilor accepts New Gloucester town manager job
MO: Jefferson City officials announced Thursday that the city's finance and IT director, Shiela Pearre, is retiring this spring
NC: Asheville is the most lethal big city in the state for cyclists. Is the city doing enough to address it?
OR: Benton County administrator Rachel McEneny resigns
TX: Del Rio council dismisses city attorney, approves separation agreement with city manager
Automated License Plate Readers
MI: Flock Camera friction in Genesee County
MI: Cameras can automatically scan license plates. Michigan lawmakers want them regulated
Data Centers
NC: How a change buried in NC Helene relief bill makes it harder to block data centers
PA: How a Centre County township is preparing as plans for AI data centers grow across PA
TX: El Paso City Council seeks community-led guidelines for future AI data centers
WI: Attempt to recall Port Washington mayor by anti-data center group fails, according to City
Transparency, Community Engagement, and Social Media
IA: Local cities adapt communication strategies to reach public, encourage civic participation
MA: For Dartmouth Town Administrator Cody Haddad, transparency is the name of the game
PA: New Castle Councilman: "Social media is a problem” and Council wants to hire a social media employee, but manager says he’s got one
Recent City Manager Unfiltered Podcast Episodes
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