bvelliquette@heraldsun.com; 918-1042
HILLSBOROUGH -- When Frank Clifton signed on as interim Orange County manager in June, one of his assignments was to investigate the county's government and all its departments and write a review of them.
Members of the Orange County Board of Commissioners were so impressed by the breadth and depth of his 65-page review, as well as his experience as a county manager in North Carolina and a city manager in other states, they decided hire him on a permanent basis.
Clifton has previously served as county manager in Onslow County and Cabarrus County, as well as a city manager in Tennessee and Florida.
"The fact that he has experience in North Carolina as well as other states is a good thing," said Commissioner Bernadette Pelissier.
As well as knowing the rules and regulations of North Carolina, Clifton showed a fresh perspective in looking at issues of concern in Orange County, she said.
"It was a very comprehensive report that brought up a lot of very good issues," Pelissier said. "He highlighted some of the areas where we are not the most effective."
The review covered everything for the need for new software programs to a health and wellness program for employees to the need for a clear goal for economic development.
With his experience and the detailed report, the commissioners knew that Clifton wouldn't need much time to adjust to the job.
"We knew that he would be able to hit the ground running, and he has done that certainly serving as interim manager," said Commissioner Steve Yuhasz.
The board voted unanimously to name Clifton as county manager Tuesday night.
Clifton was named interim manager June 15 after then-manager Laura Blackmon resigned to move out of state.
His starting salary is $161,200.
As county manager, Clifton will lead the day-to-day operations of Orange County government and will report directly to the Orange County Board of Commissioners.
Clifton, 63, said his immediate challenges are external ones -- the national and state economies.
"Those have impacts on the county's budget going forward," he said.
Another immediate issue is the siting of a waste transfer station. There are four options, although it appears one of them may have recently disappeared when Chapel Hill voted against moving forward with the idea of providing city-owned land for the site.
The other options include a site on N.C. 5, west of Carrboro, putting it on county owned land on Millhouse Road or working out a deal with Durham to use its transfer site, Clifton said.
Clifton said he will provide all the information about each option, and the county commissioners are scheduled to vote on it on Dec. 7.
Clifton received a bachelor's degree in Management and Finance from the University of South Florida and a master's degree in City Management from East Tennessee State University. He also continued his education through the City-County Government Administration Program at the School of Government at UNC Chapel Hill.
