Black Mountain elected officials announce interim town manager interviews

Town council meets to discuss administrative transition plan

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
December 21, 2025

The Black Mountain Town Council holds a special call meeting, Dec. 19, to discuss interviews with potential interim town managers while identifying firms to assist with the search for permanent candidates. Photo by Fred McCormick

The search for a new Black Mountain town manager will move forward with upcoming interviews of two potential candidates for the interim role, following a, Dec. 19, special call meeting of the town council. 

The town’s governing board will meet at 8 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 23, to hold closed session discussions with prospective temporary administrators.

The council gathered for the second time since Josh Harrold announced, Dec. 10, he was stepping down from the position he held for seven years, effective, Monday, Jan. 26. Mayor Mike Sobol and councilmembers Alice Berry, Archie Pertiller, Jr., Doug Hay and Ryan Stone convened, with Pam King out of town on a previously scheduled trip, before immediately entering closed session, pursuant to N.C. General Statute 143-138.11, for the purpose of discussing specific matters related to personnel.

Following an approximately 35-minute discussion with employment attorney Susan Russo Klein, the board returned to open session to offer updates on the process. Hay announced the council’s plan to hold a special call meeting and closed session in the coming days.

“The purpose of this, I’m excited to share, is that we will be interviewing two candidates for the interim town manager position,” he said. “Both of these candidates were recommended by the (N.C.) League of Municipalities and we’re excited to keep moving forward with that process.”

Russo Klein provided the town council with information on three executive search firms capable of assisting with identifying possible candidates to permanently fill the role of the town manager. The attorney highlighted three firms—the Piedmont Triad Regional Council, Developmental Associates and Mercer Group—to possibly assist in identifying potential hires.

Pricing for the service ranges from $7,000 to approximately $30,000, according to Russo Klein. Hiring a permanent town manager could take up to six months, she told the council.

“I would expect most executive search firms will conduct pretty similar processes, although there are certainly better and worse ones out there,” the Roberts & Stevens partner who specializes in representing employers told the council. “They also interview you all and select staff, identify what you want in a candidate and present you with those candidates. There may be some more that will come out by the next meeting, so you might have additional options.”

The attorney agreed to provide additional information on executive search firms during the next meeting, while Berry sought clarification on town council’s discretion in the event of a town manager’s resignation.

“When the town signs a contract with an employee, typically that is only signed with a town manager, which is what happened here, many times it contains a severance payment provision upon separation under certain defined contract terms,” Russo Klein said. “Once one of those terms has been triggered, and this one was triggered by Mr. Harrold’s resignation and giving 45 days notice, that results in the payment of the severance, per those contractual terms.”

The town is required to fulfill those provisions unless the employee is terminated for cause, the attorney added.

“We know we have to give him six months pay from the time he actually leaves, which will probably be sometime in the time the interim manager comes in,” Sobol said. “What about on the unused sick time and unused vacation time?”

The town is also required to pay out those accrued hours, the attorney responded.

“I would imagine some of the (paid time off) is being used over the Christmas season, which is typically how that’s done,” Russo Klein said. “Then, upon separation, any unused PTO and sick time would be paid out, per your regular policies.”