Benson leaders to hold special meeting in search for new interim town manager

The Town of Benson's Board of Commissioners held a closed session Thursday night to consider applications for a new interim town manager. 

Mayor Max Raynor said they have at least three candidates, including one from out-of-state. Prior to Thursday's closed session, he told WRAL that the town is looking for a manager that's fiscally responsible and diplomatic.

"Last year we had a really great interim town manager and he set the bar really high, he helped us with our finances, got us on the right track that way, and our recent town manager just carried that on," Raynor said.

One week ago, Benson Town Manager Dane Rideout resigned and assistant town manager Calla Godwin gave two weeks notice. 

Godwin agreed to temporarily assume the duties of town manager in the time she has left, which is now one week. 

Rideout had been in the spotlight in recent weeks after a video began circulating online involving an outburst during a staff meeting. Rideout confirmed to WRAL Investigates that he got heated during a department meeting where town officials discussed the budget.

"I am not trying to be dramatic, it's not personal. I hope I have gotten it through the commissioners’ head, we're f****** broke and we've got to do lion s***. And we finally did it. I about lost my s*** last week when it was a 4-2 vote, when we sat in here in this room and all the commissioners around there, I said 'Everyone good?' and we looked around and all fricking seven of 'em said, 'We're good,' and then two of them decided to fricking kowtow to their population, and 'oh, by the way, we talked about this that only two of those little sons of b******.”

Rideout told WRAL Investigates that his remarks at the end of the video were spliced and taken out of context.

Previously, Rideout stated at a Board of Commissioners meeting that the town had a $2.75 million deficit.

At last week's board meeting, an independent auditor said its recent report found the town had an over expenditure of the budget for several years straight and an improper USDA reserve fund.

"We’re not broke, we’re poor," Raynor said before Thursday's closed session. "We have the money to pay our bills, we just don’t have money in the reserves. We’ve been saying that for two to three years. It’s just been getting all kinds of attention suddenly."

Thursday's special board meeting was held at Benson Town Hall at 7 p.m. The board considered applications and conducted interviews for interim town manager.