Letter To The Editor: Benson’s Challenges Run Deeper Than Personalities

This letter is written for those who want to read to understand, not for those who simply want to read to respond on social media.

When I resigned as Town Manager of the Town of Benson, I did so because I had become a distraction to the organization’s ability to move forward. Whether deserved or not, the debate surrounding my leadership and a few recorded comments had become increasingly polarized, and I believed that stepping aside was in the best interest of the Town, its employees, and the governing board. My hope was that my resignation would lower the temperature, allow the community to focus on the substantive issues facing Benson, and provide the organization an opportunity to move forward without the constant controversy that had developed around my position.

Unfortunately, my silence since leaving has not produced that result.

Instead, it has allowed misinformation, half-truths, and outright falsehoods to fill the void. Legitimate discussions about the Town’s financial condition, operational challenges, and organizational deficiencies have too often been replaced by personal attacks, speculation, and narratives that bear little resemblance to the facts. Some of the accusations and statements that have circulated publicly have crossed the line from disagreement into what I believe approaches defamation. While I have no interest in engaging in a public back-and-forth or relitigating every decision or recommendation that was made during my tenure, I do believe the citizens of Benson deserve to hear directly from the person who was tasked with identifying problems and recommending solutions.

What follows is not an attempt to settle scores, assign blame, or seek vindication. It is an effort to explain why certain recommendations were made, why difficult decisions became necessary, and why the financial and organizational challenges facing Benson are far more significant than many people realize. Whether you agree with my conclusions or not, I hope you will consider the facts and circumstances that led to them before forming your own opinion.

When I accepted the position of Town Manager, I was not hired to preserve the status quo. I was hired because the Town was facing significant financial and organizational challenges that required immediate attention. The Mayor and Town Council directed me to evaluate operations, identify inefficiencies, stabilize finances, and develop a path forward consistent with North Carolina Local Government Commission guidance and sound municipal management practices.

As I began reviewing the Town’s finances, operations, staffing, and internal controls, it became clear that the challenges were deeper and more widespread than many people realized. Among the issues identified were inadequate fund balances, utility rate structure deficiencies, financial reporting flaws, inconsistent procurement practices, project overrun, lack of internal controls, deferred infrastructure investments, insufficient reserves, inadequate financial oversight, unheard of COLA adjustments and expenditures that had significantly outpaced recurring revenues over multiple years. I have explained it as “death by 1000 cuts.”

The Town was operating with financial vulnerabilities that could not simply be ignored. Difficult decisions were not optional; they were necessary.

As Town Manager, I had a responsibility to review every department, every process, every position, and every expenditure. No department was exempt from review. No manager can ask taxpayers to bear increasing costs while refusing to examine the efficiency and effectiveness of government operations. My first phase of recommendations included organizational restructuring, elimination of redundant positions, operational efficiencies, and budget adjustments intended to place Benson on a sustainable financial path.

Unfortunately, there appeared to be an unwritten expectation among some that every department could be reviewed except one.

Much has been said about my frustrations with the Fire Department, and I believe the public deserves to understand why.

My concerns were never about reducing the mission of protecting lives and property. Fire protection is one of the most important services local governments provide. My concerns centered on financial sustainability, organizational effectiveness, and an unwillingness by some to change.

Throughout the budget process, every department was expected to evaluate operations, justify expenditures, and identify opportunities to improve efficiency. And they did exactly that except for one. When recommendations involving the Fire Department were discussed, the response was often immediate resistance. Rather than debating facts or providing viable solutions, the conversation frequently shifted toward emotion, personal attacks, and worst-case scenarios designed to generate fear within the community.

Many residents were led to believe that proposed changes would somehow eliminate fire protection services or jeopardize public safety. That was never true.

I became increasingly frustrated watching misinformation spread through social media, community meetings, and informal conversations. Residents both inside and outside the Town limits were repeatedly encouraged to believe that Town leadership was somehow attempting to dismantle the Fire Department. In reality, we were attempting to ensure that all departments operated within the Town’s financial means while continuing to provide quality service.

I was also concerned about a culture within the Fire Department where volunteer interests often appeared to exert disproportionate influence over organizational and operational decisions, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of emergency responses were being handled by the Town’s full-time and part-time professional firefighters. In my opinion, a small group of long-standing volunteer members had become influential in shaping decisions that protected the traditional, fraternal culture of the department rather than supporting changes necessary to improve efficiency, accountability, and long-term sustainability.

Let me be clear: volunteers play an important and valued role in many fire service organizations, and Benson is no exception. However, the operational reality was that paid firefighters were responding to more than ninety percent of emergency calls, while discussions about departmental operations, new fire truck specifications and future departmental direction often appeared to be driven by individuals who were not carrying the majority of that workload.

After personally meeting with every full-time firefighter, many of the concerns I initially suspected were reinforced. I heard repeated concerns about response times being impacted while crews waited for volunteers to arrive, even when some volunteers would report to the station, sign in for compensation, and never actually respond to the emergency. I learned that some full-time firefighters lacked necessary equipment while unused turnout gear remained assigned to volunteers. I heard concerns about firefighter burnout caused by the constant demand of emergency responses combined with participation in virtually every community event because department leadership struggled to establish priorities and boundaries.

I also became concerned that the department’s focus had shifted toward chasing ISO rating improvements regardless of the actual return on investment to taxpayers. At the same time, fire department leadership had participated in developing the County Fire District Cost Share Policy, which effectively created additional financial pressure on municipalities by requiring increased local expenditures to maximize fire district funding distributions.

These were not criticisms of firefighters. They were management concerns regarding organizational structure, resource allocation, operational effectiveness, and financial stewardship. As Town Manager, it was my responsibility to identify those issues and recommend solutions, even when doing so was unpopular. I just think I was the first Town Manager to tell them “No”.

The situation became even more challenging when the Fire Chief reportedly presented the Town Council with an ultimatum during a closed session meeting, essentially stating that it was “either him or me.” Whether intended that way or not, that type of position makes collaboration nearly impossible. Healthy organizations require leaders who can disagree professionally while remaining committed to solving problems together.

Another issue that has received significant public attention was a department head meeting held in early March.

During that meeting, we were discussing town operations and extraordinarily difficult financial decisions. We were talking about rate adjustments, organizational changes, budget adjustments, and the reality that the Town could not continue operating as it had in previous years. Emotions were high. The pressure on department heads was significant. The pressure on me was significant.

During that meeting, I lost my temper and used profanity.

I regret doing so.

It was unprofessional, and I wish I had handled the moment differently. I take full responsibility for the words I used.

What has largely been ignored, however, is the context in which that meeting occurred. By that point, months of resistance, misinformation, personal attacks, and efforts to undermine management’s recommendations had created an environment of constant conflict. I am not proud of my reaction, but I believe most people would understand that frustration can reach a breaking point when every attempt at change is met with opposition regardless of the merits.

The meeting was secretly recorded and later released publicly. Since that time, numerous individuals of the 10+ people who attended the meeting have expressed concerns regarding the authenticity and completeness of the recording. Several attendees have independently questioned whether portions of the recording, particularly near the end, may have been altered, edited, spliced, or manipulated through artificial intelligence or other means. I am not an audio forensic expert and cannot make a definitive statement. What I can say is that I am far from the only person who has concerns regarding whether the recording that was released accurately represents the entirety of what occurred during that meeting.

What troubles me most is that public attention has focused almost exclusively on a few moments of profanity while largely ignoring the serious financial “train wreck” that prompted the discussion in the first place.

Those concerns remain.

In fact, the seriousness of those concerns is reflected by the fact that the North Carolina State Auditor’s Office is currently conducting a formal comprehensive audit of Town operations and finances covering Fiscal Years 2021 through 2025.

As part of that process, auditors have requested extensive financial records, grant agreements, payroll records, supporting accounting records, financial transactions, bank statements and other information covering numerous areas of Town operations.

Before my departure, my finance director repeatedly expressed concerns that she is unable to locate much of the documentation being requested since she has been looking for much of it herself since her arrival in late January. Of the numerous areas identified for audit review, many records are incomplete, improperly maintained, difficult to locate, or simply unavailable. The condition of the Town’s records reflects years of poor recordkeeping practices, inconsistent compliance with generally accepted accounting principles, inadequate internal controls, insufficient documentation standards, and a systemic lack of personnel possessing the education, training, and municipal finance experience necessary to effectively manage a modern local government finance operation.

That reality was one of the primary reasons I advocated so strongly for organizational change.

The challenges facing Benson were never about one department, one employee, one elected official, or one budget cycle. They were systemic issues that required honest evaluation and corrective action.

Leadership is not about making popular decisions. Leadership is about making necessary decisions.

I knew when I accepted this position that some recommendations would be unpopular. What I did not anticipate was the extent to which efforts to improve accountability and fiscal responsibility would be met with resistance, misinformation, and personal attacks.

I was hired to make difficult decisions, correct broken processes, eliminate inefficiencies, reduce redundant positions, and streamline the organization. Looking back, it sometimes felt as though the council supported those objectives until the recommendations affected their particular department or area of interest. More than once, I found myself wondering if someone had forgotten to tell me that one department or certain individuals were considered off limits.

The citizens of Benson deserve a government that is financially stable, operationally accountable, professionally managed, and focused on long-term success rather than preserving practices simply because “that’s the way they have always done it”.

Reasonable people can disagree about specific recommendations. That is part of local government. What should not be disputed is that Benson faces significant financial, organizational, and infrastructure challenges that will require strong leadership and difficult decisions long after my departure. Make no mistake that a new manufacturing company and future companies wanting to establish in Benson are watching very closely…the optics and strategic messaging are horrible.

I remain proud of the effort to identify problems, bring transparency to difficult issues, and begin conversations that many believed were long overdue.

My hope is that the community can move beyond personalities and focus instead on facts, accountability, and the future of the Town.

The people of Benson deserve nothing less.

Dane D. Rideout
Former Town Manager