Spring Lake raises manager pay, taps police surplus fund for severance

SPRING LAKE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Spring Lake's interim town manager, Dennis English Jr., has signed his contract after a contentious decision by the town council to fire former manager Jon Rorie in a three-to-two vote that occurred without the mayor's knowledge.

The council voted to set English Jr's annual salary at $149,000, nearly $9,000 more than his predecessor. He will be paid $72 an hour compared to Rorie's $67.31 an hour.

The town will dip into its savings/general fund to offset the cost.

While some commissioners pointed out English's lack of local experience, he argued during Monday's meeting that his lobbying expertise in Washington might bring fresh opportunities to the community.

One by one, Spring Lake residents took the podium to voice concerns over the firing of Rorie. Derrick Montgomery, a resident who moved to town three years ago to start a church, described the town's economic state as troubling. "Termination is the problem is how we go about doing this process. And so we've cost the town more money, and we put the town in a stagnant state," Montgomery said.

Former Commissioner and resident Marvin Lackman, who hired Rorie, said, "He's (English) got the credentials, but not the experience as the town manager. And that alarms me."

Lackman added, "He (Rorie) was a qualified town manager. He had the pedigree in order to bring us from what we were to what we became. And so it is sad to see just a 64 days into their term to fire him."

The town currently faces $75 million in infrastructure needs. Commissioners who voted for Rorie's dismissal said their decision was driven by a fundamental difference between the direction being proposed and the board's vision to best serve the citizens of Spring Lake.

The council approved paying Rorie six months of severance plus vacation, totaling $84,000. The funds will come from a surplus in the police department's gas fund.

"When you're dealing with a deficit, every cent counts," Montgomery said. Lackman added, "That could be used for new equipment for our police officers. Instead, we're paying a man that is no longer employed by the town to not work for us. That's stupid."

English declined a request for an interview. During the meeting, he said he plans to meet with stakeholders to help the community.

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