A month after Carolina Journal ran a story on a series of bonuses that Cleveland County manager David Dear received, Dear announced that he plans to retire at the end of the year.

As CJ editorial intern Anthony Hennen reported:

While Cleveland County officials froze salaries for local government employees in early 2009 as a cost-saving measure, the county continued to give its county manager five-figure annual bonuses.

Beginning in 2008, County Manager David Dear received four one-time bonuses of $10,068 in an effort by county commissioners to dissuade him from retirement and as a reward for attracting new economic development to Cleveland County, County Commission Chairman Johnny Hutchins said.

In announcing his retirement, Dear said:

I have enjoyed my tenure as your manager and together we have moved our community forward during some very trying economic times. The time has come for me to move into the next phase of my life and for Cleveland County to transition to a new Management Team. I will make myself available both before and after retirement to help our County Government be prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.

The local newspaper, The Shelby Star, couldn’t reach Dear for further comment. Dear’s retirement also followed on the heels of the Star‘s report on the bonuses, which county officials say were, in reality, merit pay increases.