Cary manager retiring, to take job at SAS

"I appreciate very much the opportunity I have had to work for the elected officials and citizens of the town of Cary," Coleman said in a statement. "Cary is a great place to live, work and raise a family. The town has been blessed with outstanding leadership, and I am confident that the mayor and council, along with the staff, will continue to move Cary forward as the premier community in the country."

Coleman's last day as town manager will be Oct. 17.

"It is thanks in very large measure to Bill’s hard work, leadership, ideas and professionalism that Cary became and is today one of the greatest communities in the nation," Mayor Harold Weinbrecht said in the statement. "I assure the people of Cary that we have every intention of maintaining the excellent course and direction Bill has set for our town government. While Bill will be sorely missed, we are very happy that his next career will keep him here in Cary, and we wish him the very best.”

A native of Red Springs, Coleman served as town manager in Pittsboro and Southern Pines and as Chatham County manager before becoming Cary's assistant town manager in 1988. He was named manager in Cary six years later.

At SAS, the world's largest privately held software company, he will work with the local government group, using his experience to help the company devise and implement programs for governmental offices.

The Town Council will develop plans for searching for his successor in the coming weeks, officials said.