Robbinsville – The revolving door of personnel inside Town Hall continues to spin.
Alderman Brian “Taco” Johnson resigned last month, releasing a statement that noted the need for several upcoming medical procedures that would leave him unable to fulfill his role. Johnson also served as the Graham County festivals director, but relinquished that role as well; a replacement has yet to be named.
Since July, the town has relieved then finance director Sonya Webster of her duties; spent months tasking water clerk Shari Birchfield with serving in dual roles; and lost its second attempt at hiring Webster’s permanent replacement.
After Annette Carver initially accepted the job – then declined, before joining the staff – Carver did a 180-degree turn and came aboard as the town’s finance director. She resigned after two days, citing a lack of adequate training made available by the town. Birchfield announced her retirement early in the winter, so the town was left scrambling and last month, announced the hiring of Karen Lail as the new finance director.
Lail was present for the Feb. 1 board of aldermen meeting, but resigned shortly thereafter. The board formed an emergency quorum Monday to appoint a temporary finance director while the search for stability continues, but it is unclear if a fill-in was confirmed.
Meeting notes
The first aldermen meeting without Johnson was fairly uneventful, though the board did address several issues that have carried across multiple meetings:
* An appointment for Johnson’s seat was a point of discussion, but no decision was made and the topic was tabled until the March 1 meeting;
* Town attorney Ellen Davis suggested that the board ask the county tax assessor to lower the property value of the Old Town Hall, which local motorcycle repair shop Wheeler’s Performance has expressed interest in purchasing;
* The ordinance detailing guidelines for homeless individuals was again discussed, with alderwoman Debbie Beasley proposing the language “no overnight stays on the park bench” be added to the existing ordinance. Davis said she would work to amend the ordinance to reflect the suggestion;
* The aldermen unanimously agreed to add Amanda Gyongyos – who was hired as Birchfield’s replacement for town water clerk – as an official check-signer for the town, while simultaneously removing Birchfield’s name from the approved list.