AHOSKIE – The Town of Ahoskie will begin the new year with a new Town Manager.

During a special called meeting here yesterday (Wednesday), the Ahoskie Town Council voted unanimously to hire Charles A. &uot;Tony&uot; Hammond to fill the spot left void since Oct. 1 when the resignation of former Town Manager Russell Overman became effective.

Hammond, 55, has previously served in Town Manager positions in North Topsail Beach (1998-2001) and Creedmoor (2002 until July of this year).

Prior to those jobs, Hammond served 29 years (1968-1997) in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a Master Chief. While in the Navy, Hammond indirectly supervised 2,400 medical personnel and operated a $2.4 million budget.

&uot;We feel real good about Mr. Hammond,&uot; said Ahoskie Mayor Linda Blackburn. &uot;We feel he’ll be a nice fit for the town.&uot;

Blackburn again thanked the town citizens for showing patience while Council members went about the job of finding a new Manager.

&uot;I feel this is the most important decision this Council will ever make,&uot; noted Blackburn. &uot;We took this matter very seriously. We took our time to find a person the caliber of a Tony Hammond.&uot;

A total of 23 applications were received for the job. Town Council members chose nine to interview.

Hammond will begin his new job on Jan. 11 at a starting salary of $63,697.

In another matter handled by Town Council on Wednesday, they voted to name Evelyn Howard as Assistant Town Manager. Howard, who will continue to hold the positions of Town Clerk and Financial Officer, served as Interim Town Manager during the search process.

Meanwhile, Overman has also found a new career home as he was recently hired as the Martin County Manager.