Guilford County Manager David McNeill is in for a rough year, if he sticks around, that is.
The question is whether or not McNeill’s potentially tough year will be due to the county’s economic problems or the fact that Skip Alston is the new commission chairman. We’re reminded that Alston and McNeill haven’t exactly been on friendly terms:
Alston has publicly chastised McNeill several times. In the summer of 2006, when Willie Best, the county’s black manager, was replaced with McNeill, who is white, Alston accused McNeill of working behind the scenes to oust Best and take over as manager.
Eventually, Alston and McNeill seemed to arrive at a tenuous peace and Alston eventually stated publicly at a commissioners meeting that he thought he could work with McNeill.
Should McNeill walk out the door, for whatever reason, assistant county manager Ben Brown, late of the the Mitch Johnson administration over at City Hall, would be ready to step in. Brown would be a suitable replacement; he’s been vetted by the best (Johnson is not among them) and he’s black, which should make Alston happy.
