Interim Vance County Manager Scott Elliott said he fell in love with North Carolina during an internship at the Forsyth County Planning Department during the summer when he was in college at the University of Wisconsin.
In the decades since that internship, Elliott has worked in various counties across the state. He retired after more than 20 years in Pitt County, coming off 15 years in Robeson, Alamance and Guilford.
If you’re counting, that’s only five of the state’s 100 counties, but Elliott said it didn’t seem to faze local leaders that their prospective interim manager had only seen Vance County from inside a vehicle traveling along I-85.
“I knew very little to nothing about Vance County,” Elliott said in an interview recorded for Wednesday’s TownTalk. “I think the board actually liked that,” because it meant that he could deal with situations in an objective way – “no preconceived notions,” he added.
Case in point: the county’s fire services. Elliott said commissioners did take the staff recommendation for a fire services study to take place. Requests for proposals went out last week as a first step toward resolution, and Elliott said a selection could be made this month.
The search process for a county manager is underway, and Elliott said there could be an announcement sometime in the fall.
He’s only been in place for about a month, but Elliott’s early evaluation is positive.
“There are a lot of good things here in Vance County,” Elliott said. The I-85 corridor and the industrial park are just two bright spots that show potential, he said, adding that there were some job announcements “brewing” that could come to fruition soon.
Bringing consensus to the board room is always a goal, and Elliott said it’s always good when commissioners listen and approve staff recommendations. When dealing with any group – elected officials or otherwise – there’s bound to be numerous opinions and perspectives.
“There will always be disagreement,” Elliott said, “but it can be a productive disagreement.”