BENSON – The Benson Board of Commissioners has chosen an interim Town Manager.
Steven Harrell will take over as Town Manager beginning June 30. He will temporarily take the place of current Town Manager Kim Pickett, who announced in May that she will be leaving Benson for an assistant town manager position in Smithfield.
Mr. Harrell was chosen as interim for his long history in local government leadership — a career that began with an administrative position in Goldsboro in 1980 followed by a two-year town administrator role in Benson from 1982 to 1984. He has also held positions in Clinton (South Carolina), Elizabeth City, Washington, and Wilmington among other locations before retiring in October 2020 while serving as Town Manager of Ayden.
Since his retirement, Mr. Harrell has worked as an interim town manager in several communities including Robersonville in 2021, Brevard in 2022, Oxford in 2023, and Wadesboro in 2024.
“With my Interim Manager tenures, I realize how much I still find municipal management so rewarding and how much I still have to offer a municipality as a manager, thus my application for Benson’s Interim Town Manager position,” explained Mr. Harrell.
“Additionally, my ongoing interim work has also kept me abreast of current local government matters in North Carolina,” he said.
“It’s a great honor to come full circle after 41 years and return to Benson — providing it once again with professional leadership in its Town Manager’s office,” Mr. Harrell said of his return to Benson.
With Mr. Harrell at the helm for the next several months, Benson Commissioners and Town Administration will begin the search for a Town Manger. Interviews for the permanent role are expected to take place later this year with a potential hire in December.
