From the Fayetteville Observer (11/23/09): A wide range in pay for local managers of North Carolina's ABC boards and the reluctance of boards to make that information public has drawn the attention of the governor.
The Star-News of Wilmington reported Sunday that its inquiry into salaries at New Hanover County and other ABC boards prompted the chairman of the state ABC commission to take the matter to Gov. Bev Perdue’s office, which ordered a closer look.
“The governor has directed us to examine the issue statewide, because it is critical that there is transparency and good stewardship of taxpayer dollars at all levels of government,” Chairman Jon Williams said in a statement last week.
The newspaper reported that Billy Williams, the administrator of the New Hanover Alcoholic Beverage Control board who has worked there for nearly 42 years, makes $232,200 a year. His son, Bradley Williams, an employee since 1994 and the assistant administrator, earns $115,500 annually.
New Hanover sold nearly $31 million worth of liquor during fiscal 2009, at a profit margin above 14 percent. That’s one of the best performances in the state, and the board repeats it year after year.
“I think I know the business pretty good and I’ve worked hard,” said Billy Williams, who started as a clerk after he turned 21 in 1968. “I proudly say I grew up in a project and I think I’ve done very well for myself.”
New Hanover ABC board members defended the salaries, arguing that Billy Williams and his son both worked their way up through the ranks. The elder Williams doesn’t set his son’s salary and shows “no partiality” toward him, said board member Richard Hanson.
State commission chairman Jon Williams makes $109,553 a year. State Administrator Michael Herring earns $97,279.
The Triad Municipal ABC in Winston-Salem and the Durham County ABC – both roughly similar in size and sales to New Hanover – pay their managers $96,000 and $112,000, respectively.
A General Assembly report from December 2008 evaluating the state’s ABC system notes that local boards with profits above 10 percent tend to be in urban or tourist areas. New Hanover County is both.
Still, board officials credit Billy Williams and his staff with the board’s success.
Board member Stephen Culbreth said Billy Williams has cultivated a friendly and helpful staff that serves the public well and led the effort to modernize stores and make them more “customer friendly,” which has upped sales.
He also describes the administrator as a shrewd businessman who knows how to work the system by strategically stockpiling liquor before price increases, enabling the board to turn more profit.
“That’s what we are paying him for,” Culbreth said. “Anybody might be able to do the job, but not as good as Billy Williams can.”
AP Report