Sudden resignation leaves Chapel Hill council to search for a new town manager

Chapel Hill Town Manager Maurice Jones started his job the day the Confederate statue Silent Sam was toppled at UNC.

He led the town through the COVID-19 pandemic and is now leaving after hiring the town’s first female police chief and changing how the Town Council approaches development.

His last day will be Dec. 31, according to a news release Tuesday.

The council will pick his temporary replacement at a specially called meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Town Hall.

“After an assessment of my personal priorities, I have made the difficult decision to resign from my position as town manager,” Jones said in the news release. “It’s been an honor to serve the Town of Chapel Hill over the past four and a half years. Together, we have come through the pandemic in good shape and taken important steps forward as an organization.”

The search for a new manager will start in January and could take six to eight months, the release noted.

The council also issued a joint statement Tuesday praising Jones for his “steady hand over the past four and a half years” and for leaving “the town on solid footing.”

“During this time of transition, we want to assure everyone that maintaining stability within the organization and advancing key initiatives are top priorities for the Town Council,” the statement continued. “With these things in mind, we have identified an individual who knows our community well and shares our values to be the interim town manager.”

Jones is a former sports broadcaster and previously served as city manager in Charlottesville, Virginia.

In Chapel Hill, he is credited with leading work on the town’s first Climate Action and Response Plan, helping to start a comprehensive look at and increases in town employee pay, creating an Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and developing a faster review process for affordable housing projects.

His tenure also marked a new chapter in the town’s relationship with UNC with the launch of a downtown innovation hub that already has landed new and renovated office buildings that are expected to provide space for startups spinning out of UNC and bring more vibrancy, business and residents to the downtown business district.

Jones is leaving the town “on strong footing,” Mayor Pam Hemminger said in the release.

“We are grateful to Maurice for his commitment to Chapel Hill,” Hemminger said. “He has provided a steady hand through the pandemic and other critical moments while, also, helping to promote equity and inclusion throughout our organization and the community.”

We are reaching out to Maurice Jones for comment. Check back on this breaking story for a fuller report.