W. Terry Smith
PRINCEVILLE — After being sworn in Monday night, Princeville Mayor Priscilla Everette-Oates spent some of Tuesday in her office at Town Hall.
She plans more days in the office dealing with the challenges facing the new administration.
Among those is the hiring of town manager.
“We’ll begin interviewing in January,” Everette-Oates said. “We have three or four resumes.”
The job became vacant in August when Sam Knight abruptly resigned before pleading guilty in September to 14 felonies relating to money unlawfully obtained from the town.
Knight was placed on probation and ordered to pay back $25,293 within 90 days. He has not done so, and a warrant was issued this week for his arrest.
Veteran municipal administrator David Overton of Windsor has been serving in a part-time capacity since Aug. 31. He was hired to work through December.
Overton, 64, has more than 40 years of experience in town administration. He was deputy town clerk, town clerk and then town administrator of Windsor from 1964 until he retired in 2003
He is retired and was recently elected to the Windsor Board of Commissioners.
“He’s told us he will stay until he make the transition,” the mayor said.
Overton also said the new hire could phone him for advice at no charge.
“He’s been real good to us,” Everette-Oates said.
“People are nice over here,” Overton said, “and very good to work with.”
As far as any personnel changes, the mayor said that would be up to the town’s Board of Commissioners.
“I’m not getting into that,” she said, “but changes are going to have to be made. We are going to have to cut back. I want to look at the budget.”
The mayor has promised she will address what many residents claim are high water bills. Princeville buys its water from the Town of Tarboro.
“We’ve got to find a way to bring it down,” Everette-Oates said.
Overton thinks installing new water meters and replacing leaky hydrants will help bring costs down as the town now pays for about a million gallons a month it cannot account for, some $87,000 worth of water a year.
Princeville has received a $310,700 stimulus grant to buy new meters and hydrants.
