Harrisburg town manager’s sudden resignation is a mystery

Harrisburg Town Manager Bobby Williams has resigned, effective immediately, the town announced Tuesday night.

Town Council appointed Lee Connor, Harrisburg’s finance director, as interim town manager and will meet to evaluate plans to fill the town manager position, according to a town news release Tuesday night.

The town did not say in the release why Williams resigned. Williams did not immediately return email and phone messages from the Observer late Tuesday.

As to why Williams resigned, “there’s no information on that available at this time,” town spokeswoman Ann Gibson said in an email reply to the Observer.

Williams worked for the town of Huntersville for at least a decade before starting as Harrisburg town manager on May 2.

Williams replaced Mike Rose, who resigned in November to become town manager of Topsail Beach at the coast.

Williams worked in numerous areas of Huntersville’s town government, from economic development and transportation to strategic planning and emergency preparedness.

In 2011, he was named Huntersville’s employee of the year for creating Huntersville 101, the town’s citizen’s academy.

“His experience in a rapid-growth municipality bordering Charlotte will be of great benefit to our community as we continue to manage smart growth and focus on quality of life in Harrisburg,” Mayor Steve Sciascia said in a statement announcing Williams’ selection.

Connor has been Harrisburg’s finance director since 2010, the town’s news release said.

“He has served as interim town manager in the past and has over 10 years auditing experience with a large public accounting firm specializing in government and not-for-profit accounting,” the news release said

Connor has a bachelor of science in accounting and an M.B.A. from the University of New Orleans. He is a certified public accountant and chartered global management accountant, according to the release. Connor is a member of the N.C. Society of Certified Public Accountants, the N.C. Government Finance Officers Association, Government Finance Officers Association and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

This story was originally published August 16, 2016 at 9:06 PM with the headline "Harrisburg town manager’s sudden resignation is a mystery."