Ex-NC town manager ousted after police force quit has a new job. But vote was close.
Two months after being fired as town manager of Kenly, Justine Jones has a new job in Cumberland County.
On Monday night, the Spring Lake Board of Aldermen voted 3-2 to hire Jones as their new town manager.
Jones will begin her new post on Oct. 24, according to Mayor Pro Tem Robin Chadwick at the meeting.
The board’s three alderwomen, Sona Cooper, Adrian Thompson and Chadwick voted to hire Jones.
The board’s two aldermen, Raul Palacious and Marvin Lackman, voted against hiring her.
Before the vote, Palacious said, “I feel like there was somebody that was more qualified (and) had the experience that the town needs at this time.”
The mayor of Spring Lake and other board members did not respond to requests from The News & Observer for a comment Tuesday morning.
Jones told The N&O that she and the town were still sorting out details of her new post.
Dismissed Kenly manager
Just two months into her job in Kenly, the small Johnston County town about 45 miles outside of Raleigh, Jones became the center of controversy in July after the town’s police force quit in June. Several officers and two town administrators cited a “hostile” and “toxic” work environment under Jones’ leadership.
A month-long investigation led by the Kenly Town Council and the town’s attorney found no evidence that Jones created a hostile work environment.
Jones was terminated by the Kenly Town Council by a 3-2 vote on Aug. 31. Some residents believed the decision had racist undertones because the former employees who made the claims were all white, and Jones is Black.
The town mayor, Tooie Hales, disagreed with that.
In the first time she spoke publicly about the exodus in Kenly, Jones said in a statement that “the decision to not communicate the entire story and publicly share the findings of the report is most unfortunate.”
“The allegations made against me were timely and thoroughly vetted by independent sources and there was no such finding of wrong doing by me or my office,” she said.
Spring Lake, about an hour from Kenly, is working to rebuild some of its governmental leadership after the town’s finance director pleaded guilty to embezzlement and the town’s finances were taken over by the state’s Local Government Commission, as reported by The N&O.
At Monday’s meeting, the Spring Lake board also voted to appoint Fire Chief Jason Williams as the acting town manager until Jones begins her position. The vote was unanimous.
This story was originally published October 11, 2022 at 1:06 PM.