The Spring Lake Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 on Monday to terminate Town Manager Jon Rorie.
“Tonight, three members of the Town of Spring Lake Board of Commissioners, Mayor Pro Tem Fredricka Sutherland, Commissioner Jackie Jackson, and Commissioner Tony Burgess, voted to terminate the Town Manager’s contract without cause,” Mayor Kia Anthony wrote in a Facebook post.
Rorie’s termination will disrupt work in progress in Spring Lake and affect public confidence in the stability of the town, Anthony said in the post. Spring Lake is facing over $75 million in infrastructure needs—a massive project in which Rorie was heavily involved—and still recovering from being under state financial control.
“This is not the time for political games, personal agendas, or reckless decision-making from anyone entrusted with leadership,” she wrote.
“This decision was not made in the best interest of Spring Lake,” Anthony continued “ It was not made to protect our residents. It was not made to move our town forward. It was made without regard for the consequences, and those consequences are real.”
Anthony and Commissioner Soña Cooper both told CityView that they had no prior knowledge of the plan to oust Rorie before Jackson called for a closed session at Monday’s meeting.
“It was very frustrating,” Cooper said of the closed session and termination vote.
“I am outraged,” Anthony told CityView. “I am very concerned for the stability of the town, given such a significant change in the middle of so many major projects.”
Anthony said that Rorie’s termination will likely stall progress for the town. “We have removed the captain of the ship while the ship was in motion,” she said.
Anthony said the impacts of the termination are difficult to project, but that the town’s tight budget and rocky financial footing—which have been major concerns for many years—are now even more pressing. “If we don’t have a qualified town manager, this will lead the LGC to come right back in and take over Spring Lake again,” she said.
The North Carolina Local Government Commission took over financial control of the town in 2021 following evidence of massive financial mismanagement, and oversaw all financial operations until 2024.
Though the termination of Rorie presents challenges for Spring Lake, Anthony said she remains committed to bettering Spring Lake.
“This isn’t going to stop our progress,” Anthony told CityView, “We are still committed to rebuilding our town. We’re still committed to making sure our citizens receive the highest quality services we can provide.”
Rorie, who previously served as city manager in Camden, South Carolina, started May 1, 2024 with an annual salary of $140,000. Rorie was Spring Lake’s first permanent town manager since 2021.
CityView reached out to Anthony, Sutherland, and the four other town commissioners on Tuesday for comment about Rorie’s firing. We will update the story if others respond.
The Spring Lake Board of Commissioners meets again at 6 p.m. on February 23 at Spring Lake Town Hall, 300 Ruth St.