Beaufort Co. Council chooses ‘honest dude’ to fill top job for next 6 months
Beaufort County has hired another temporary interim county administrator to get the county through a third search for a permanent replacement and to help with the next fiscal year budget.
John Weaver, Lancaster County’s attorney since September 2014, received unanimous Beaufort County Council approval to serve as interim county administrator for Beaufort County. A county news release announced Monday he accepted the offer and will begin working the week of Nov. 12, with a formal introduction on Nov. 5.
County Council Chairman Paul Sommerville said Tuesday that Weaver will work for at least six months, with the possibility to extend his contract beyond that if both parties agree. He will earn $97,500 over those six months with a monthly salary of $16,250 for any additional months he works for the county.
Weaver had been slated to retire from Lancaster County at the end of December and said he was not expecting to work anywhere beyond that time. However, he said Tuesday his Lancaster County resume had been floated around, and he received an unsolicited call from Sommerville to interview for the position.
“I like the challenge of a larger county and the complexities of Beaufort County, compared to what I come from,” Weaver said. “The size, the number of employees and the maritime environment provide challenges that are like what I worked with in the past. I’ve been a coastline guy for most of my career.”
Although the county has not yet drafted a formal contract, Sommerville said he and council are pleased that Weaver accepted the offer to serve the county.
“(Weaver)‘s coming for a finite period of time,” he said. “We appreciate that he’s willing to do this (in spite of his retirement plans) and grateful he did not decline our offer.”
An Air Force veteran, Weaver began his career in government in 2002 after more than 20 years in private practice and trial law. He served as Horry County’s attorney from 2002 until 2008 and received a promotion to be their county administrator in 2008.
Weaver encountered some controversy in 2011 when he and Horry County’s council agreed to buy out the remaining five months of Weaver’s contract. The issue revolved around the county’s police chief, who Weaver said he refused to fire without just cause. The disagreement led to a mutual decision to part ways, according to Weaver and news reports at the time.
In addressing both that issue and the turmoil that has surrounded Beaufort County Council over the past year, Weaver said his history in government and in a courtroom has prepared him well to deal with any possible council turbulence.
“I’m old enough that dissensions and controversy, they’re always there,” he said. “That environment, I’m comfortable in that. I’m good on my feet, and I have a calm demeanor (to handle any issues).”
Sommerville and Councilman Ric Caporale said the council reviewed close to a dozen resumes, but it only interviewed Weaver and Tim Callanan, the deputy supervisor and chief financial officer for Berkeley County. Callanan previously served as the GOP chairman for the county, but he resigned over perceived concerns about miscommunication and internal tension.
Nevertheless, both Sommerville and Caporale said council liked both candidates, with Sommerville calling Weaver’s hire “a forced choice.”
In the search to replace former longtime County Administrator Gary Kubic, who retired over a year ago, consensus has been difficult to achieve.
However, after seeing two county interim administrators come and go and two searches fail for Kubic’s full-time replacement, both factions of council that favored and opposed former interim county administrator Josh Gruber to take Kubic’s job aligned in a 10-0 vote for Weaver to take the helm through at least May 2019. Councilman Jerry Stewart was absent for Monday’s vote.
Caporale, who opposed Gruber and was an outspoken proponent for investigating the $12,000 a month contract that Gruber signed with successor Tom Keaveny to continue on as a consultant to the county, agreed that council felt some unity in choosing Weaver.
“I’m the one who forwarded Weaver’s resume to council,” Caporale said Tuesday. “He’s an honest dude. We won’t have to press him. He’s got this fatherly thing going on, and everyone’s comfortable with the decision.”
Keaveny, Beaufort County’s attorney who announced his intent to resign his interim county administrator role the day after the council’s finance committee launched its investigation, planned his resignation to take effect Monday. However, Sommerville confirmed Keaveny will stay on in the county administrator role into November until Weaver comes in to succeed him.
Acknowledging the increasingly rare compromise in the county administrator search, Caporale — whose term ends in December and is retiring from council — said the the job to find the full-time replacement will and should fall on the new council. Nevertheless, he said he was glad to have a role in putting the controversy to rest for the time being.
“I’m just happy to be done with it,” he said.
Weaver said the decision to take the job came about quickly, having only interviewed on Oct. 8. He’s excited to begin but understands the pressure the job involves and knows he’ll have to earn the trust of both county council and the constituents it serves.
“(My acceptance) was a leap of faith on both sides,” he said. “I hope to win the council’s trust. Without them, I will be a failure. That’s not what I want and that’s not what the people of Beaufort County deserve.”
This story was originally published October 16, 2018 at 5:02 PM.