Summerfield mayor reacts to mass staff exodus after town manager ousted (2024)

SUMMERFIELD, N.C. (WGHP) — Summerfield will undergo rolling resignations in the coming week after the entire staff turned in a collective notice over alleged mistreatment of the outgoing town manager.

“Now that we are losing not only his experience now but the experience of all the rest of our staff is exceedingly troubling, but this is a result of where we are today,” said Mayor Tim Sessoms.

Town ousts Whitaker

The council had voted on Feb. 13 not to extend Whitaker’s contract. Prior to this year, Whitaker’s contract was renewed essentially automatically. But, in February, the council put Whitaker on notice and threatened severance he believed was written into his contract.

Sessoms and Councilmember John Doggett were opposed to letting Whitaker go. Councilmembers Jonathan Hamilton and Heath Clay, who were both elected last November, as well as Lynne Devaney and Janelle Robinson voted against extending Whitaker’s contract.

Clay explained during the February meeting that he believed Whitaker’s contract was “one-sided and unfavorable to the town with limited safeguards,” according to the meeting minutes.

Without an extension to his contract, Whitaker’s employment would end after 60 days.

Sessoms said, “[Whitaker]’s done a great job, but we understand … with every election, there are consequences.”

Staff resigns

On Sunday, a member of the town staff sent an email to FOX8 announcing that the staff, including seven staffers and two seasonal employees, had collectively resigned. They will be resigning on a rolling schedule.

In a statement, the staff decried the council’s decision to oust Scott Whitaker, Summerfield’s town manager of 12 years, as his wife battles cancer.

“If they had treated Scott with the dignity and respect he has earned after 12 faithful years as Manager, let him go with his severance from the very beginning and allowed his wife to continue her cancer treatments with insurance, we would have been sad to see him go; but we would have remained. However, that is not the path they chose,” the statement read in part.

Hamilton responded with a statement of his own, writing in part, “While I believe the resignations were at least in part politically motivated, I see this as a great opportunity forSummerfield. With our current town manager’s contract ending soon, we will be able to hire a new town manager that can start fresh.”

Emergency meeting

The council held an emergency council meeting on Monday to discuss “a staffing/employee matter.”

Sessoms successfully advocated for Whitaker to receive severance and insurance to continue supporting his wife’s cancer treatment. Whitaker will reportedly receive a six-month severance package of $105,000, and he will receive health insurance during that time which will help as his wife undergoes cancer treatment. His last day will be in early June.

Possible tensions from that three-hour meeting appeared to spill over afterward with a woman asking Hamilton, “What about the hostile environment you’ve been accused of?”

Hamilton answered, “I think our environment is fine.”

What’s next?

Despite the council’s decision on severance and insurance, it appears unlikely that town staff will return.

“These folks have already interviewed. They have accepted new jobs. … Some town somewhere will be very blessed to have them on their town staff,” Sessoms said.

The resignation of staff coming as the town manager departs sets up a unique problem as it is the job of the town manager to hire staff members.

“We’ll have to begin the process of searching for a new manager. We may end up with an interim manager, but as soon as we get that done, that will be the next thing on the agenda,” Sessoms said.

In the meantime, people who live in Summerfield may experience the staffing strain.

“You certainly have to be worried about gaps in services. We will do what we can to make sure none exist and do our very best for that not to be the case,” Sessoms said.

The big topic on the table is de-annexation. Sessoms and Whitaker met with developer David Couch, who is a proponent for de-annexation, but both men said that de-annexation was not discussed.

Sessoms says that he is staying on as mayor, but the future remains uncertain.

“I am not necessarily aligned with this council. … A lot of my responsibilities have been taken away. … With that being the case, I stuck around in an effort to try to do something good for our town manager. … Now that that’s changed, I don’t know what will be next for me,” he said.