WILMINGTON — The city’s appointed attorney will be departing Wilmington by the end of October, according to a release from City of Wilmington. John Joye, who has served the city over the last five years, has accepted an opportunity in the Queen City of Charlotte.
“I am immensely proud of my colleagues at the City Attorney’s Office and the City of Wilmington, and the work we have accomplished over the past five years, from navigating a pandemic and hurricane recovery to rewriting and modernizing city codes,” Joye wrote in a press release.
Joye had been in the legal field for 25 years when he was unanimously voted by council in 2017 to oversee the needs of the city. From helping implement states of emergency due to Hurricane Florence and Covid-19 pandemic, he also provided guidance on capital improvement projects and the overhaul of Wilmington’s 40-year-old Land Development Code, a release noted.
“John’s sharp mind and prudent counsel have been an invaluable asset to our city. Time and again, he and his staff have proven a highly knowledgeable and dependable source of information and guidance for City Council,” Mayor Saffo said in the release.
City attorney is one of five positions appointed by council; it will decide during its Sept. 20 meeting to appoint an interim replacement in Deputy City Attorney Meredith Everhart.
“As I depart, I have great confidence that I am leaving this office — and this city — in a stronger position than when I was hired and in highly capable hands,” Joye said in the release.
He will leave the position on Oct. 21.
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