York resigns as town planning manager

Summerfi eld planning manager resigns effective Sept. 2

by CHRIS BURRITT

SUMMERFIELD – Summerfield planning manager Chris York resigned earlier this month. In the weeks leading up to York’s resignation, two incidents had been reported in which he disparaged Town Council member Teresa W. PerA blast from the past! Chris York ryman and criticized Don Wendelken, administrator of Summerfield Scoop. York’s resignation was effective Thursday, Sept. 2, Town Manager Scott Whitaker said in an interview last week. He declined to discuss the personnel matter but said the town plans to advertise for York’s replacement “pretty immediately.”

“I don’t expect it (finding a replacement) to be quick, though,” Whitaker noted.

Meanwhile, Brad Rentz, the town’s planning technician and enforcement officer, is helping with work previously performed by York.

When hired in April 2019, York was the planning department’s only employee, with responsibility for reviewing building applications and rezoning requests and other day-to-day-planning activities. He worked on some contentious issues, such as reviewing developer David Couch’s plans to develop about 1,000 acres in Summerfield and helping complete updates to the town’s unified development ordinance, a set of development rules adopted by the council in June.

York’s work drew praise from some council members and Whitaker, who said he was “a really good planner – probably the best we’ve had.” However, it was some of York’s personal antics that led Whitaker to discipline him in late June and suspend him for a week after he sent a personal text message to a Summerfield resident that included an inappropriate comment about Perryman. In April 2020, York temporarily lost his credential from the American Institute of Certified Planners. Spurred by a complaint by Wendelken, an investigation by the American Planning Association found York had acted unprofessionally in February of that year when he posted Facebook comments about Wendelken that were deemed inappropriate for a town employee. In his Facebook post, written under a fictitious name, York reacted to Wendelken’s decision to post a photo of Finance Officer Dee Hall’s car parked in a handicapped-only spot at the Summerfield Community Center during a Town Council meeting. Later, Hall apologized and explained when she arrived at the meeting at dusk it was raining and she hadn’t seen the partially faded painting on the asphalt that indicated the spot was reserved for handicapped drivers. In recent interviews, Perryman and Wendelken said they believe that York’s text message and Facebook post were grounds for his departure. “As a representative of the town of Summerfield, that shouldn’t have happened,” Wendelken said. “He brought it upon himself.”

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Oak Ridge Heritage Day Heritage Day

Saturday, Sept. 25

10am-4pm

Redmon Field at Oak Ridge Town Park (on Linville Road across from Scoggins Road)

Plans for this FREE event include:

• Revolutionary & Civil War re-enactors with interactive displays • Live music and clogging demonstrations • Food • Games & kids’ activities • NEW! Gem Mining • Exhibits of household goods, farm items, tobacco equipment, etc. • Blacksmithing & outdoor cooking demos • Meet our military vets • Displays – Fire Dept., Horse Show, town committees, civic groups, etc. • Cannon firing at 11am, 1pm and 3pm • Baking contest with prizes • Beard contest with prizes (various categories –i.e., longest/fullest, most distinguished, most interesting) • Characters in period dress • ALSO THIS YEAR! Vendors selling arts & crafts, homemade items, foods, and vintage/antique/re-purposed items

A blast from the past!

For more info, vendor forms and rules visit: Oak Ridge Town Park’s page on Facebook,

www.oakridgenc.com

or call town hall at 336-644-7009