State News

New Hanover liquor board seeks lower-paid CEO

The New Hanover County liquor board, which paid its administrator nearly $280,000 a year to manage its stores, plans to pay less than half that amount to his replacement.

Posted Updated
Billy Williams, administrator of the New Hanover ABC.
WILMINGTON, N.C. — The New Hanover County liquor board, which paid its administrator nearly $280,000 a year to manage its stores, plans to pay less than half that amount to his replacement.

The county's Alcoholic Beverage Control board will soon advertise for the successor to retiring administrator Billy Williams, who will leave the ABC system late next month after working nearly 42 years there.

Williams is a high school graduate and former liquor store clerk whose yearly salary and bonuses reached nearly $280,000. His son, Bradley, collects $135,000 a year as his assistant.

The ABC board now wants someone with a college degree and management experience. The top salary for the new manager would be $130,000, plus benefits.

Copyright 2024 by WRAL.com and the Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.