Cabarrus County Manager Sean Newton was dismissed Monday night in a 3-2 vote by the Board of Commissioners, ending his brief five-month tenure. The decision came at the conclusion of a meeting at the Cabarrus Governmental Center, following a closed session on legal matters.
Newton was hired by Cabarrus County in March to replace longtime County Manager Mike Downs, who was fired by commissioners in January. Newton was hired after the application period was held open for 13 days.
Newton
Monday’s vote was 3-2, with Commissioners Jeff Jones, Kenny Wortman and Lynn Shue voting to fire Newton. Commissioners Laura Lindsey and Larry Pittman voted “no.” Newton’s annual salary was $286,000 per year.
No reasons were given. Commissioners had discussed the issue and other legal issues during a closed session before the termination vote.
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Newton is a former business partner of N.C. Sen. Chris Measmer, who was the commission chair when Newton was hired. Both Newton and Measmer have said their business partnership never actually materialized into a business after the paperwork was completed.
Cabarrus County provided information about Newton’s qualifications when he was hired. He has 14 years of private sector experience, working in leadership roles at Lowe’s and Wells Fargo. Most recently, he served as senior director of Enterprise Analytics at Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA). He said he planned to drive success through his breadth of knowledge and experience in finance, analytics, human resources, information technology and risk management. Newton holds bachelor’s degrees in finance and political science from UNC Charlotte and a master’s degree in business administration from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
The county manager oversees day-to-day operations performed by more than 1,400 employees across multiple departments.
The Downs lawsuit
In March, Downs’ attorney filed suit against the county. His contract called for a gross severance and bonus sums, which amounts to $464,843.40. He is also owed a 5% contribution “above and beyond his salary” to his 401(k) account. As a result of the alleged breach of contract, Downs is seeking damages in the amount of $488,076.12 along “with pre- and post-judgment interest at the legal rate, running from January 31, 2025 until paid.”
Downs
Attorneys for both parties agreed to mediation and Kenneth P. Carlson Jr. of Winston-Salem was appointed as the mediator on Aug. 11.
Downs had been county manager since 2011. He began working for the county in 1986 as a zoning inspector.
