Tommy Burns is Gone

Tommy Burns is Gone

By Gary A. House

I was the deciding vote to bring Tommy Burns to Harnett County as County Manager.

Mr. Burns was simply the most qualified candidate that made the final two cut.

Commissioner Jim Burgin had talked for many months about bringing Mr. Burns in as county manager when and if Scott Sauer left.  After Mr. Sauer was terminated, Mr. Burns still appeared to be Burgin’s man.

In the month prior to the Board actually picking a replacement, Commissioner Burgin started making subtle hints that he may want Interim County Manager Joseph Jeffries to be the new county manager.  I think the world of Mr. Jeffries and I personally do not know anyone else that does not feel the same way.

When it came to picking the new county manager, it was clear that Mr. Jeffries may not have enough votes.  Commissioner Springle chimed in and said that education does not matter.  Mr. Burns has advanced education in public administration.  Mr. Jeffries does not.  That seemed like an effort to persuade the Board to Mr. Jeffries and away from Mr. Burns.

Commissioner Burgin then chimed in and said that Mr. Jeffries had three months of county manager experience and Mr. Burns did not have any.  Mr. Burns had been the town manager in three municipalities in his career.  Mr. Jeffries was a planning director and interim county manager for three months.  There was no question in my mind that at this time in their careers, Mr. Burns was more qualified.

After seeing that Mr. Jeffries did not have the votes, Commissioners Springle and Burgin voted for Mr. Burns in open session.

Even after Mr. Burns was hired, he often told me that Springle and Burgin did not have much to do with him.  They most often called Joseph Jeffries, our new deputy county manager.   Commissioner Burgin talked our Board into creating this position for Mr. Jeffries to give him some experience in management before our other deputy county manager, Tony Wilder, retired.

Mr. Burns came to me several weeks back and told me he had a job offer in Wayne County as Assistant County Manager.  I hated to lose Mr. Burns in Harnett County.  But Mr. Burns had been hearing the same rumors that many of us had been hearing for the last year.  He feared that he would be terminated when the new Board took over in December of 2014.   Knowing that Mr. Burns had not been treated quite like a county manager should be treated by two commissioners and they would have even more power when the new Board took over, I told Mr. Burns that he had to do what was best for him and his family.  I know that it is a terrible feeling not having job security and being anxious about going to work every morning. 

Eventually Mr. Burns decided to take the job opportunity in Wayne County.  I often used Wayne County as a benchmark to Harnett County because of its similar size to Harnett County.  It does have more of a commercial and industrial base than Harnett.  Mr. Burns is stepping into a good position in Wayne County.  The County Manager there will retire in a few years and Mr. Burns should be groomed to step in without missing a beat.

Soon after announcing his plans to go to Wayne County, the old Harnett County politics kicked in and someone made a call to a Commissioner in Wayne County telling the Commissioner that Mr. Burns had insulted Representative David Lewis at a recent Harnett County Board meeting.  Mr. Burns did in fact call Representative Lewis a coward for trying to hide House Bill 1108 from Harnett County when it affected Harnett County.  Representative Lewis tried to slip the bill through the General Assembly without telling us.   The Commissioner in Wayne County apparently demanded that Mr. Burns apologize to Representative Lewis.  It seems ironic that Springle and Burgin showed up at Mr. Burns’ office a few months before making the same demand.

If any apologies should be made, Representative Lewis should apologize to the County Board and School Board for trying to slip a bill through in such a clandestine manner.  Seven of the ten members of the county board and school board opposed Harnett County being included in House Bill 1108---The ones who supported it were Bill Morris, Burgin and Springle.

My point is Mr. Burns stood up and said something that needed to be said and no one else had the guts to say it.  Because he took a stand, someone in Harnett County is trying to punish him in Wayne County before his first day of work.  I guess you see how Harnett County politics work.  If you stand up, they go after you.

I called the folks in Wayne County and told them they were getting a good man in Tommy Burns.  The County Manager said “I know.  I checked him out thoroughly.”

Wayne County is getting a terrific, intelligent manager.  And Harnett County is losing the future I prayed we would have.

Tommy you have my upmost respect and I wish you well my brother.  I am sorry it did not work out for you here in Harnett County.   You are our loss.

Yesterday the new Board of Commissioners again made Joseph Jeffries interim county manager.  Even though he has stated that he has no interest in being manager, I believe there is a distinct possibility that the new Board will force him to become manager by eliminating the deputy county manager job that he now holds.

I expect the new Board to make massive cuts.  Yes, those rumors have been going around too.  The Board could save over $100,000 by eliminating the deputy manager position.   Even if it is not eliminated, I expect there will be a massive reorganization but there is no way that the rumored amount of cuts would ever be possible.

The county budget has been balanced on the backs of the employees for several years.  There are massive needs in the school system that some do not appear to recognize.  There is a property tax revaluation coming up soon which may not increase the property values, which may mean no more property tax revenue.

I ask that you watch what happens in Harnett County in the next few years and make sure you have the representatives in place that will work for your interests, not their own interests or the interests of others.