Morganton's Sally Sandy named Local Government Manager of the Year

Morganton City Manager Sally Sandy has been named the North Carolina City and County Management Association’s Local Government Manager of the Year for large communities, an honor given by her peers for steady leadership through some of the city’s most complex challenges, including the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

At NCCCMA’s annual winter luncheon in Winston-Salem on Thursday, Jan. 29, Sandy said she was surprised to hear the announcement. This year was the first year that the awards were divided among large and small local governments.

Sandy took the title for the state’s large organizations with populations of over 10,000. Jonathan Russell, the former city manager of Washington, was recognized for the small jurisdiction.

“During a period marked by significant loss of property, businesses, and critical infrastructure, she provided steady, decisive leadership to staff, the community, and elected officials,” city staff wrote in the nomination letter to NCCCMA Executive Director Rob Shepherd.

Sandy reached her 33-year milestone with the city on Sunday, Feb. 8, having served as city manager for 28 of those years. She started her work as finance director for the city in 1993, after working for the Local Government Commission within the North Carolina State Treasurer’s Office, where she advised finance officers and managers from local governments throughout the state.

She brought that experience to Morganton, where little did she know, she would serve out the rest of her career, and where she would become the city’s first female manager. It’s a position that she said she never thought she would have, and every day she learns something new.

However, she doesn’t attribute her recognition to herself, but instead to the staff she works with. City Councilwoman Wendy Cato, who wrote a letter of support for Sandy’s nomination, began working with Sandy in the 1990s when she was working part-time for Morganton’s Main Street Office.

“I’ve watched her leadership for a very long time. Her title is City Manager, but what she is is a team builder,” Cato said. “Yes, she does manage the fiscal planning, but her success comes in her team building, and her fiscal background.”

Sandy’s fiscal background is also a large part of what has made the city strong through challenging times, Cato said.

Former Mayor Mel Cohen, who worked with Sandy for about two decades, shared a similar sentiment, praising her financial knowledge.

“She’s got a phenomenal business background, and was an unbelievably smart finance director,” Cohen said.

“She has always been able to put Morganton in a very secure financial place, no matter what hit us. Back in 2008, when we lost all the plants, I mean, that was a huge hit to the city, just because of electricity and water and all that, but we were in good shape to be able to weather that storm.”

Then came literal storms. Sandy managed the City of Morganton through what many in the foothills and the rest of Western North Carolina will remember as a traumatic experience for many families: Hurricane Helene, and the path of destruction it left throughout the region.

Sandy coordinated efforts across water, sewer, electric, cable, development, finance, public works, recreation, and public safety to ensure continuity of essential services for residents.

“Sally engages in complex discussions regarding a $300 million master plan with state and federal representatives, while also speaking with compassion and clarity to a local family devastated by the loss of their home following a hurricane. This balance reflects her servant leadership and her belief that effective local government can and should improve the lives of the people it serves,” the nomination letter states.

Being a city manager, or any local government employee for that matter, comes with the responsibility to adapt during challenging times. Sandy led the city through the Great Recession in 2008, two other recessions, and times when state funding was not available. Then, came a massive shift in the backbone of the local economy, when she had to guide the city’s adaptation to a new identity.

“Basically, from about the mid-90s, when this community started changing from a historically high concentration in furniture manufacturing and textiles, losing textiles first and then furniture following that, retooling, rebuilding, and figuring out who we’re going to grow up to be,” Sandy said.

From the city’s roots in Main Street Community accreditation to CoMPAS Cable, Sandy said Morganton has so many amenities that make the community flourish. Sandy said she’s been proud to play a part in several projects that now shape Morganton, including the Catawba River Greenway, the renovation of the Morganton Community House, and the transformation of the courthouse square, among others.

There are still several projects she wants to see through to the end, including the replacement of the boardwalk at River Village, the opening of Bethel Park, the completion of the Silver Creek Pump Station Improvement Project, the Water Plant Sedimentation Basin Improvement Project, and the restoration of Catawba Meadows and the Catawba River Soccer Complex.

While Sandy didn’t give a timeline on when she will be passing the torch to the next leader, she did say that she wants to get the City of Morganton in better shape after the destruction from Hurricane Helene. Cohen said he hopes Sandy will stick around for years to come.

“The city needs her. Financially, times are tough and we need her expertise as a former finance director and long-term manager,” Cohen said.

After decades of navigating economic hardships and natural disasters, Sandy said the role has given her a unique perspective on what effective leadership requires.

“Getting the privilege to serve in this seat, and to see the city from not one point of view, but the big picture, and all of the smaller pieces, but the bigger pieces and how they fit together, has been an incredible opportunity,” Sandy said.