CAROLINA BEACH — Six months ago the Town of Carolina Beach fired its recently-hired Town Manager Lucky Narain — now, they have finally selected his replacement, Bruce Oakley.
Starting February 18, City Manager of Southport Bruce Oakley will take the top spot in Carolina Beach as Town Manager. The new hire means the City of Southport will have to go through the same process Carolina Beach just did to find a viable candidate to run their city.
Oakley’s departure from Southport comes after a tumultuous municipal election that saw four incumbents, including Mayor Jerry Dove, defeated.
The Town of Carolina Beach met in a closed session on Tuesday to finalize the decision and it was announced later that day that Oakley had been hired.
Oakley’s salary starts off at $120,000 annually in Carolina Beach, a hefty increase from what he started off making in 2017 at Southport, $89,500. Oakley’s current salary in Southport, according to a public record request made late last year, is $102,764.
Mayor of Carolina Beach LeAnn Pierce offered a brief statement on Oakley’s hiring saying it was a good fit for Carolina Beach since he has experience in a coastal community right across the river. Perhaps one of the most important and valuable assets Oakley will bring to Carolina Beach is his experience in working with the Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point (MOTSU).
Interim Town Manager Ed Parvin will resume his role as Assistant Town Manager when Oakley takes his new role — just in time for the town’s annual budget retreat.
