David Andrews

The Pender County Board of Commissioners hired a new manager at the end of the regular board meeting Monday. The county will welcome David Andrews, the current manager of the city of Boiling Spring Lakes in Brunswick County, on Sept. 1 as its new leader. 

Andrews is filling a position left open by former county manager Chad McEwen, who resigned in April to take a job as one of the city of Wilmington’s new deputy managers. 

McEwen, who was formerly an assistant manager in Pender County before serving as manager for about two and a half years, started his role with Wilmington last week at a salary of $170,000, according to a city spokesperson. The job move was a 17% jump from his latest base pay in Pender County, which was $145,077 upon his exit, according to a county representative. 

McEwen was promoted to county manager in 2019 at a base pay of $136,660, according to his employment contract. He had previously served as manager of the town of Burgaw. In Wilmington, McEwen is overseeing the city’s fire department, emergency management, planning and development, economic development, and downtown services departments, the city previously announced. He earned a master's in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. 

Andrews is joining Pender County at a base pay of $150,000, according to his employment contract, which also permits a $700 monthly travel allowance and up to $6,000 in moving costs so he can reside in the county within a year. 

For his part, Andrews’ pay will hike nearly 30% from his current salary in Boiling Spring Lakes of $115,500. He will have served the city of Boiling Spring Lakes for almost a year.

Andrews’ career started with the city of South Tusco, Arizona, as a finance director in 1991, according to a county press release. He spent 10 years as the manager of Carborro, North Carolina, before announcing his retirement in 2021, according to Chapelboro.com. 

There, he played a key role in enhancing the town’s arts and entertainment district, promoting economic development and tourism, launching a community outreach program and supporting remediation efforts for a subdivision impacted by a former landfill, according to the county news release.

“Mr. Andrews brings many strengths to Pender County, including land use, budget and finance, economic development, and strategic planning,” Pender County Chairman David Piepmeyer said in the release. “He has increased long-term sustainability by developing five-year revenue and expenditure forecasts which included a five-year capital improvement program. This is extremely important for Pender County as we continue to grow and prepares for several capital improvement projects such as a Pender County Health and Human Services building and a new library.”

Andrews holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Arizona. In Boiling Spring Lakes, Andrews has worked on large capital projects, including the ongoing effort to restore the lakes that were emptied by Hurricane Florence. His familiarity with bond processes will assist the county as it navigates an upcoming school bond referendum, the county announced in its release. ​