Narrow vote removes Spring Lake town manager; commissioner says interim pick was 'random'

SPRING LAKE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Calls for transparency are growing in Spring Lake after the sudden firing of Town Manager Jon Rorie, a decision that passed by a 3-2 vote following a three-hour council meeting and closed session on Feb. 9.

The vote marks the latest chapter in a town that has seen more than a dozen town managers, both permanent and interim, during the past 17 years.

Mayor Kia Anthony, who voted against the termination, said she was caught off guard by the decision.

"I am concerned that this sets a precedent for back-door dealings, and I am extremely concerned that we are hiring a town manager who has no local government experience," Anthony said.

The unexpected move has divided residents.

"He was fired with no transparency. Why was he fired? Ain't nobody say," said Spring Lake resident Mickey Carter Sr.

The decision comes as the town faces an estimated $75 million in infrastructure needs.

"We have decades-old infrastructure that is now on the verge of collapse due to deferred maintenance for, again, several decades. Mr. Murray came in. He's created a plan for us moving forward," Anthony said.

Three newly elected board members, Mayor Pro Tem Fredericka Sutherland and Commissioners Tony Burgess and Jackie Jackson, voted to terminate Rorie during the council meeting.

In a phone interview with ABC11, Jackson said the town's water issues influenced her decision.

"The town's water bills being extremely high, as well as the high property taxes and some other things," Jackson said.

The three commissioners also voted to appoint Dennis English as interim town manager.

When asked how English's name was selected, Jackson said, "Oh, randomly, randomly. I'm not exactly sure. I can't even remember exactly sure, it came just randomly."

When asked about English's qualifications, Jackson said, "His qualifications will come out when it's supposed to. I don't go in hard on to answer that question because I'm not sure exactly what I can and cannot say. And out of respect for the statute, the rules and regulation of how things are done, I would like to do it that way. It may look bad, it may even sound bad, but at the end of the day, it is what it is."

Rorie, who served just under two years, brought prior experience from South Carolina.

Anthony defended his tenure.

"Mr. Rorie has a stellar track record for working with distressed communities, with infrastructure issues, and budgeting issues. And he has sort with his time during his tenure with Spring Lake in the year and a half that he was here, we were able to create multiple projects, began capital improvement plans, but the strongest thing we did was build our city strategic plan," she said.

Looking ahead, Anthony is encouraging residents to attend the next town meeting on Monday at 6 p.m. to voice their concerns.

ABC11 reached out to Rorie for comment, but had not received a response.

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