This story has something in it for everyone.
The town of #SummerfieldNC lies just north of Greensboro, North Carolina, and has seen a transition from rural farming village to bedroom community to reluctant suburb over the past two decades.
#Summerfield's current town council was voted in on a hardcore #NIMBYism platform. Putting that platform into action, however, has led to some substantial consequences for the town, including... (1/n)
...a potential lawsuit by the #NAACP over the town's #ExclusionaryZoning code (which requires a minimum 1.5 acre lot size for residential development).
An out-of-town developer, David Couch, has been credited with tipping the NAACP off about #Summerfield. Couch has spent the past few years assembling a ~1000 acre tract of formerly farmland near the historic center of town, on which he has proposed a high-density-but-also-high-end townhome community. (2/n)
But rather than wait to see how the lawsuit plays out, Couch, a wealthy and well-connected Republican, has been working with NC's right-wing legislature to advance a bill to de-annex his property from Summerfield altogether.
This move would set a dangerous precedent for local governments in NC, where towns are already constitutionally hamstrung by state regulations, most of which are very conservative. (3/n).
Anyway, things just got a lot more saucy.
#Summerfield's long-time town manager had been working to mitigate some of the worst consequences of the council's NIMBYism, including working with the developer to try and find a non-de-annexation solution.
And that pissed council off royally.
So, a month or so ago, council decided in a closed door session to not renew the town manager's contract when it expires in June. (5/n)
The town manager is a beloved member of the community, and was well-respected by his staff of 8. So when council announced the manager was not having his contract renewed--and thus effectively being fired but without the benefit of severance pay--staff got mad.
So mad, in fact, that yesterday evening, at the close of the town's annual 2-day Founders' Day celebration, all 8 of them tendered their resignation. (6/n).
The local weekly paper, The Northwest Observer, broke the story yesterday on their facebook page last night, and posted the text of the staff's collective resignation letter today.
https://www.nwobserver.com/articles/featured-stories/the-great-resignation/
(7/n).
As the daughter of Oak Ridge's former long-time mayor, I cannot help but bask in a little hometown pride. Oak Ridge isn't perfect, but by george we are NOT Summerfield.
(9/9).
@DrTCombs I can only imagine how goofed up Summerfield is going to be without those staffers. I also imagine that the council members will be Learning Some Things in the coming days and months.
BTW, Oak Ridge is a pretty awesome town. It had a very progressive mayor for a long time. He hired a top-notch staff who did their best to balance rural charm with modern demands. And Oak Ridge is on the #MountainsToSea trail, so you can get there on foot it you want to. It's pretty bad ass.