Mayor announces Brandy Matthews has accepted city manager role; council to address finance director vacancy

Pocomoke City's mayor told the council that Brandy Matthews, who has served as the city's finance director, has accepted the position of city manager.

The mayor said Matthews will continue to work with the finance department while also assuming city manager duties and that the mayor and council will reconvene to address filling the finance director position. The mayor and council discussed interim staffing options: Matthews will continue assistance in the finance office, the mayor said staff in city hall can step up temporarily, and officials are considering creating a deputy clerk role to “tie together all of the loose ends” rather than restoring a deputy manager position.

Matthews addressed the council after the announcement and thanked the mayor and council for their trust. She said she does not live in Pocomoke City but considers it a second home and that she will continue to focus on staffing and operational shortfalls while in the new role. Matthews told the council the public works crew believes they can complete several sidewalk repairs in the weeks before winter by setting aside two days a week to do about half a dozen sections per day, and that larger sidewalk projects will require outside contracts.

Why it matters: The appointment changes the city’s senior management structure and creates a vacancy in finance; council action will be needed to fill that role and to approve any related staffing or job-title changes.

What comes next: The mayor and council will meet again to decide how to fill the finance director position and whether to create a deputy clerk post. Matthews will remain involved with finance while performing city manager duties, per council discussion in the meeting.