People say be careful what you ask for and, in the past, some people have said that to those seeking to be the Guilford County attorney.

However, despite the job being difficult – especially because you have nine bosses who often disagree – a good number of candidates from all over the country were seeking that job.

Now, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners has selected the new county attorney.

The attorney who will replace longtime Guilford County Attorney Mark Payne is…

Well, the commissioners aren’t saying the name yet.

Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Skip Alston said on Monday, June 13, that a selection had been made but the county is not quite ready to make it public.

“Some of the final contract details are being worked out,” Alston said, adding that, though he couldn’t say the name right now, county residents will know the name very soon.

“I’m hoping to introduce the new attorney Thursday,” Alston said.

The Board of Commissioners has a meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 16 at which the commissioners are also expected to approve a new 2022-2023 county budget.

The board has held several virtual interview sessions with potential attorney candidates and has spent a great deal of time in the selection process.  Those meetings have all been closed to the press and the public – and the commissioners have said nothing about the candidate who’s now been selected.

Alston said that hiring the county attorney is one of the most important decisions that a Board of Commissioners makes as part of its duties. There are only a handful of positions – such as the county attorney, tax director, clerk to the board and county manager – who answer directly to the board and are hired and fired by the board.

 

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