Beaufort County selects Navy veteran and York County executive as next administrator
Beaufort County’s next administrator brings with him the rigors of military training to a municipality in need of both fiscal and cultural discipline.
At the outset of Tuesday night’s County Council meeting Vice Chair Larry McElynn, stepping in for Chairman Joe Passiment who joined remotely, announced the council’s selection of Michael R. Moore as the county’s next administrator. Moore is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and was a naval aviator.
Moore, a 30-year Navy veteran who held multiple leadership positions, was most recently the assistant county manager of York County. He’s held that position since November of 2020. Before his three years and seven months in the York County role, he served four months as the assistant city manager of Chesapeake, Virginia through the Veterans Local Government Management Fellowship program that is designed to provide “transitioning service members with management training and hands-on experience in the local government environment to prepare them for smooth transitions into local government careers,” according to a leading association of local government professionals.
His work in York County centered around public works, parks, and engineering departments as well as capital improvement projects, according to a press release from the county.
Moore appeared aware of the challenges he faces as he takes on the role of county administrator in his introductory speech Tuesday evening, “Initial areas of focus for me are the organizational structure, processes and collaborative methods,” he also remarked, “to the citizens of Beaufort County I’m truly excited for the opportunity to serve you all, visit your communities and see how we can sustain and improve county services to help ensure quality of life.”
Moore’s predecessor, Eric Greenway, was fired by council less than a year ago in late July. At a hearing requested by the former administrator to contest the action, Chairman Passiment cited Greenway’s failure to follow the statutes on hiring outside contractors, his relationship with a former contractor turned employee and his disregard for the county’s procurement process as the reasons for his termination. The former employee accused Greenway of sexual harassment and retaliation.
A series of other questionable actions came to light in the wake of the Greenway firing including a mysterious purchase of nearly $36,000 worth of weighted blankets, reportedly from a company owned by then Deputy Administrator Whitney Richland’s husband. It was later discovered that the county was in possession of the blankets, which were all still boxed and on the floor in a county warehouse. Officials had previously denied that the county ever took possession of the order.
Moore’s first day on the job will be July 1.
The original version of this story was updated Tuesday at 9:21 p.m. to include additional detail on Moore’s background.
This story was originally published May 28, 2024 at 6:31 PM.
