Why isn’t Raleigh filling economic development job of demoted ‘Hot Rod Earl’?

The city won’t immediately replace Raleigh’s economic development manager, who was demoted last month after he posted offensive comments on Twitter.

James Sauls, who served as the city’s chief business recruiter for four years, used the alias “Hot Rod Earl” on Twitter to make derogatory remarks about former Gov. Pat McCrory, state Sen. Phil Berger and conservative pundit Tomi Lahren.

Sauls apologized for the tweets, and he was demoted to the position of senior business assistance program manager.

Now city leaders say they plan to spend the next couple of months evaluating the responsibilities of the economic development manager, whose job description hasn’t been updated since 2011. Sauls earned an annual salary of $97,967 when he held the job.

Raleigh is in the process of comparing the job to similar positions in other cities, said Jim Greene, assistant city manager for economic development. Those cities include Greensboro and Charlotte, as well as Austin, Texas, and Portland, Oregon.

“We need to make sure that the job description is current and addresses the priorities and needs of the business community,” Greene said.

Raleigh’s economic development manager is tasked with leading business recruitment efforts and advising city leaders on policies. The jobholder also serves as the city’s liaison with established Raleigh businesses as well as big companies that could potentially open new offices here, Greene said.

Josh Hill, a Raleigh resident targeted by Sauls on Twitter, said he wondered if the city plans to keep the position vacant for a while and then move Sauls back into the role. He said Sauls’ demotion was a “slap on the wrist.”

“Mr. Sauls should have been fired,” Hill said. “City officials have yet again shown that they care more about covering up for ‘their own’ than they do about doing what is right.”

Greene said Sauls could choose to apply for the job of economic development manager. Sauls was the city’s top recruiter as it tried to lure Mercedes-Benz USA to move its headquarters to Raleigh in 2015. Mercedes ultimately chose Atlanta.

“Our jobs are open to anybody,” Greene said. “We will advertise nationally. It will be open internally and externally.”

The city plans to talk to local businesses and partners, like the Downtown Raleigh Alliance and Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, about how the position should evolve to better serve their needs.

The economic development office has grown from four to six employees in the past three years.

“Whenever there is a vacancy on the management team, it gives us a chance to evaluate it,” Greene said.

This story was originally published July 7, 2017 at 11:56 AM with the headline "Why isn’t Raleigh filling economic development job of demoted ‘Hot Rod Earl’?."