RICHMOND COUNTY, N.C. — Richmond County commissioners voted to separate from the county manager during a meeting Tuesday night, but not everyone is happy about the details of his separation agreement.
Bryan Land is still set to get money from the county, despite being out of a job.
Channel 9’s Gina Esposito has been following controversies surrounding him for years. Leaders in Richmond County said it’s time for a change.
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Commissioners did not explicitly say why they separated with the county manager, but one resident told Channel 9 she believes the reason is clear.
“There’s just no transparency with him,” said November Coffey.
Coffey lives in Richmond County. She attended Tuesday’s commissioner meeting, where leaders unanimously voted to separate from County Manager Bryan Land.
According to the agreement, the county agrees to pay him $225,250 to be paid in 20 monthly installments beginning October 1.
The county will also continue to pay Land’s health insurance until he becomes eligible for Medicare.
“The fact that he’s 49, and he gets insurance until he’s eligible for Medicare when he’s 65. No, I don’t think he should’ve been paid at all. It should’ve been goodbye. Good riddance, basically,” Coffey said.
“Where I differed was on the cost. I think we paid too much, and I believe this could have been handled differently,” said Richmond County commissioner Justin Dawkins.
Dawkins expressed concerns about the payout, but told Channel 9 he voted yes because he supported the separation and a change in leadership.
Esposito has reported extensively on Land, who has been accused of several conflicts of interest. It includes a deal Land was involved in, where contracts were signed to spend tax dollars before a vote to get NASCAR to return to Rockingham Speedway.
County commissioners also questioned why trailers were moved from county-owned property to property near the speedway that is owned by Bryan Land’s family.
And in July, residents raised concerns about Land buying property near a site owned by a data center company.
“We’ve got a lot of big things here in Richmond County going on, and that’s what we need to focus on,” said Richmond County Commissioner Jamie Gathings.
Gathings says he hopes the new county manager is fair.
Coffey says she also wants to see accountability.
“I feel like this is going to breathe new life into our commissioners and help them make better decisions,” Coffey said.
Moving forward, Dawkins says he hopes to see more transparency in county business, hopes to have a better working relationship with local municipalities, and listen to people who live in the area. He said a number of residents have shared concerns with commissioners about the incoming data centers. He said 30 people spoke at the air quality meeting last month, and dozens have signed a petition asking for a pause on data centers.
Gathings said he welcomes change, and new leadership.
“If you look back at me a year ago, they tried to kick me off the board, and I’m still running strong,” Gathings said.
Commissioners selected Cary Gadner, the current finance director, to serve as interim county manager. His salary was increased to compensate for fulfilling two roles.
Commissioners say they plan to open an application to find someone for the permanent county manager position.
“This county deserves the best person we can find, and the only way to do that is to actually look for it and be transparent about the process, Dawkins said.
Channel 9 has reached out to the county about getting in contact with Land for a statement. The county said they’d reach out to his attorney. We haven’t heard back yet.
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