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Cabarrus commissioners debate hiring of new county manager; motion to terminate contract fails
Summary
Cabarrus County commissioners defended and criticized the process used to hire new county manager Sean Newton, with one commissioner moving to terminate Newton’s contract. The motion failed in a recorded board vote that left the county divided and drew sustained public comment about transparency and past personnel actions.
The Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners spent a large portion of its March 17 meeting in public debate over the process that led to the appointment of Sean Newton as county manager, and rejected a motion to terminate Newton’s contract after heated exchanges among commissioners and members of the public.
Commissioner Hsu, participating virtually, told the board he had been “largely, if not completely, excluded” from discussions and hiring materials related to the county manager search. “I have not seen any of the county manager applications,” Hsu said during the meeting, adding that he was excluded from a closed session discussion tied to the hiring process.
Chairman Meesmer acknowledged knowing Newton prior to the appointment and read a statement that said the relationship dated to an LLC formed years earlier…
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