Clayton town manager resigns just months after controversial appointment

The Clayton town manager resigned Monday night, just four months after being appointed to the nearly $200,000-a-year job in a controversial vote one council member criticized as a “buddy-system” hire.

J.D. Solomon, a longtime consultant to the town, was appointed manager Jan. 4 after having served as interim manager since Sept. 1, 2020.

The permanent post became effective Feb. 1 at an annual salary of $196,000, according to the town.

When reached by phone Tuesday afternoon, Solomon told The News & Observer, “Clayton is my home.”

“They asked me to step in back in September,” he said. “We did some really good work, but it was time to hand it off to somebody else.”

He added that “we made the improvements we wanted to make,” but declined to elaborate on what those improvements were. “There were a number, and I’ll let the council comment on those,” he said.

The Clayton Town Council announced the resignation after a two-hour closed session Monday night.

“Mr. Solomon has pulled us through a very dark time in the town of Clayton, and his service to us is very much appreciated,” Mayor Pro Tem Jason Thompson said. “We have accomplished a great deal in this time.”

Council member Michael Grannis added: “J.D. gets all the credit of getting us to where we are today. We wish him only the best.”

The council voted unanimously to appoint Rich Cappola as interim town manager. He previously served as deputy town manager and has more than 10 years of municipal experience, including four years with the Town of Clayton.

Mayor had criticized permanent appointment

The Town Council voted 4-1 in January to appoint Solomon to the position full-time, even though he didn’t originally apply for the job and the town was reviewing other candidates, The N&O previously reported.

“I’m not in favor of this,” Mayor Jody McLeod said then. “I don’t think it’s a wise move. I think it’s blowing money.”

Council member Avery Everett, who voted against the appointment, called the decision ”shady” and a “buddy-system” hire, noting the town had paid a consultant $18,000 to help find a permanent manager.

Solomon stepped in after then-Town Manager Adam Lindsay resigned in August. Lindsay received a severance payment of about $173,000, his annual salary, The N&O reported.

The N&O left a phone message for McLeod on Tuesday morning seeking comment for this story.

The N&O also asked for a copy of Solomon’s separation agreement, which the town had not provided by the publication deadline for this story.

In an interview Tuesday, Thompson said he could not comment on Solomon’s resignation but said taxpayers in the town of 23,000 people got a good deal from his service.

Solomon was already consulting for the town on its planned $120 million wastewater treatment plant, the largest project in town history. Once he became manager, Solomon was overseeing both that project and the rest of town government, Thompson said.

The town also has undergone two investigations of its police department, one initiated by Solomon, and has been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, Thompson said. A firefighter died from the virus, and another remains critically ill, he said.

Solomon has been a steady hand during a period of “internal turmoil,” the mayor pro tem said.

“He kind of walked into a lot of things that were in progress or needed to be in progress,” Thompson said. “Under the previous management a lot of things weren’t taken to the next level, and he kind of turned things around and set us up for success.”

“At the end of the day, it really was a value for our buck,” Thompson said.

‘Good progress on tough issues’

Solomon, a 30-year Clayton resident, has served on the town Planning Board and Clayton Cultural Arts Foundation and as chairman of the Johnston County Economic Development Commission according to a town news release.

“We have made good progress on tough issues over the last four months. And there are more issues that need attention,” Solomon said upon his appointment in January. “We need more time and we need to keep the momentum. Clayton is my home. Clayton is my commitment.”

Staff writer Anna Johnson contributed to this report.

This story was originally published May 4, 2021 at 10:56 AM.