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Beech Mountain Town Manager Fired After 4-1 Vote from New Town Council

By Nathan Ham

Beech Mountain Town Manager Tim Holloman was fired from his position during Tuesday’s town council meeting. 

“We had a change in our town council and the new council decided to go a different way. They voted 4-1 to dismiss Tim Holloman,” said Kate Gavenus, who is the Director of Tourism and Economic Development for Beech Mountain. 

Beech Mountain Volunteer Fire Department Chief Robert “Bob” Pudney was appointed interim manager by a 5-0 unanimous vote. 

According to Gavenus, the meeting was recessed until Monday, December 23 at 4 p.m. to continue the rest of the agenda with Pudney serving as the interim town manager. Pudney has been the chief of the Beech Mountain Fire Department for 10 years. 

Following the swearing-in of three new town council members, Kelly Melang, Jimmie Accardi and Erin Gonyea, the council took up some old business before councilmember Weidner Abernethy made the motion to terminate Holloman’s position with the town, seconded by Kelly Melang. Gonyea and Barry Kaufman, who was selected as Beech Mountain’s Mayor by the new council members early in the meeting, voted with Abernethy and Melang. Accardi voted against the firing. 

Holloman started at Beech Mountain’s Town Manager in February of 2017 after previously serving as the town manager of Oak Island and Topsail Beach. 

Gavenus said that the town council will begin a search for a permanent town manager, but that they would not rush into a decision. 

“They feel very confident in Bob Pudney so they’re not in a huge hurry to fill the position,” she said. 

Beech Mountain is no stranger to changes in its town management position. Holloman was the third town manager of Beech Mountain since 2015. Randy Feierabend was fired from the position in 2015 after taking over in 2009. Ed Evans replaced him but resigned a year later in 2016 to take the town manager position in Blowing Rock.