Top Beaufort County leader resigns, accepts job out of state
Beaufort County Assistant Administrator Monica Spells resigned from the county on Friday and has accepted a job in another state, spokesperson Liz Farrell confirmed.
Spells will be the third top official to leave the county in as many months. Alicia Holland, the county’s former chief financial officer, resigned in April, and Chris Inglese, former deputy county administrator, was fired in June.
Spells, who has worked for Beaufort County since 2011, accepted the assistant county administrator job with Loudoun County in Virginia, Farrell said Monday. As assistant administrator over civic engagement and outreach, Spells oversaw a wide variety of county departments including Alcohol & Drug Abuse, Broadcast Services, Communications & Accountability, Disabilities & Special Needs, Human Services and Records Management.
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“Serving Beaufort County for the past nine and a half years has been an incredible privilege,” Spells said in an email to The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. “I am proud to have been part of many partnerships and collaborations during my tenure, which have created positive outcomes for our organization and the exceptional community that the Beaufort County team serves.“
Her last day will be July 31.
“I thank Beaufort County Council, Administration and all employees, especially my personal team and division, for their dedication and service,” she said. “I wish them all much success while continuing to see that Beaufort County remains a place where people love to live and visit.”
A call to Loudoun County’s Human Resources Department to confirm Spells’ hiring was not immediately returned Monday.
Loudoun County has a population estimate of 413,538 compared to Beaufort County’s 192,122, according to the U.S. Census.
Beaufort County Council Chairman Joe Passiment said he views Spells’ move to Loudoun County as a “step up” and not a lateral move.
“Good for her,” he said. “Monica has been a wonderful employee. She’s polished, she’s professional and her employees like her. This is a great opportunity. You never want to hinder someone moving forward.”
Asked about the number of employees that have departed the county recently, Passiment said it was “definitely a concern.”
“We want to make sure we have the best people to replace those people,” he said. “We want to continue to grow, because we have a growing county ourselves. We’re expressing those concerns to administration.”
Several other top employees have departed the county in recent months including Human Resources Director Suzanne Gregory and Deputy Director of Engineering and Construction Rob McFee.
On June 8, The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette requested the personnel files of several employees no longer working for the county. The county has not provided those records.
This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 4:18 PM.
