Buncombe Commissioners appoint new county manager

BUDGET TALKS: The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners is getting into the thick of its budget process as it heard requests from A-B Tech and Asheville City Schools during its meeting Tuesday, May 2
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners has reach a settlement with an insurer over life insurance policies purchased by former County Manager Wanda Greene. Photo courtesy of Buncombe County Photo courtesy of Buncombe County

Press release from Buncombe County Government: Asheville, NC

At their June 9 special meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners named current Assistant County Manager/Health & Human Services Director Mandy Stone as the new County Manager to be effective July 1.

Ms. Stone succeeds Wanda Greene who announced her intent to retire after 20 years as County Manager earlier this month. “I am fully confident in the abilities of Mandy Stone to serve as our County Manager,” said Chairman Brownie Newman, “I believe under her leadership, Ms. Stone will advise and lead us in a highly-capable and professional manner.” The Commission agreed unanimously that promoting from within was a natural decision that avoided a search and brought the best candidate forward to keep the County running smoothly. They praised Ms. Stone’s experience, dedication to staff and to the community and were confident that she would move the County in a positive direction.

Ms. Stone has served Buncombe County since 1981 when she was hired as an Income Maintenance Caseworker at the Department of Social Services. She moved from that position to Social Worker, Social Work Supervisor, Assistant Director and was appointed Director of Social Services in 2001. In 2005, Ms. Stone was appointed Assistant County Manager and oversaw the integration and unification of Health and Human Services saving taxpayer dollars and reinvesting those funds into direct service provision within Human Services. Ms. Stone has been responsible for building numerous smart partnerships which have increased the County’s capacity to serve the community. Addressing the ever increasing and complicated needs of our community has been a big part of Ms. Stone’s mission, including the opening of the Family Justice Center to address the problems of domestic and sexual violence in the County. Ms. Stone’s recent work to build racial and economic equity aligns with the mission and vision of the County. Ms. Stone will begin her role as County Manager on July 1.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.