By Maggie Carney
Courtesy of the Carrboro Commons
For David Andrews, Carrboro’s progressive community and creative economy are only a couple of the reasons why the position as town manager appealed to him.
“I’m extremely excited,†Andrews says. “This is a great opportunity for me, and I’m very impressed with the mayor and the Carrboro Board of Aldermen and how progressive they are, as well as the community.â€

Andrews, 52, began work as Carrboro’s new town manager this week. He and his wife, Salette, recently moved here from Paradise Valley, Ariz., where Andrews served as assistant town manager and finance director.
Board members announced their decision to appoint Andrews as town manager at their Feb. 7 meeting. He replaces Steve Stewart, who retired last summer. Matt Efird has filled the post in the interim.
Many town officials, including Mayor Mark Chilton, believe Andrews will make a strong community leader.
“In terms of level of experience and having worked in local government for more than 20 years, he was a really outstanding [candidate],†Chilton says.
“He seems very sincere and has a great deal of leadership.â€
Andrews says he has always had a strong interest in local government. He attended the University of Arizona, where he earned his master’s degree in public administration, and has spent his career as town manager, assistant town manager or finance director for two Arizona municipalities.
“I love what I do, and I enjoy my career,†Andrews says. “I have dealt with numerous issues, including finances, land use and economic development.â€
Chilton says Andrews will have to immediately tackle several challenges the town faces.
“We’re going to have to adopt a budget for fiscal year 2012-13 by late spring,†Chilton says. “The current town staff has been drafting a budget, which is usually a three-to four-month process, so Andrews will have to come in here head-first.â€
Which is exactly what he’s planning to do.
“I have been keeping up with some of the current issues of the town, and I’m ready to … get started,†Andrews says. “I know there’s a lot to do.â€
Andrews says meeting with key stakeholders is first on his to-do list.
“I want to find out what the concerns, goals and desires of the community are and work with them to achieve the collective vision,†he says.
Andrews says he is excited that Carrboro is close to Chapel Hill and UNC, and he believes these communities do an excellent job of cooperating with one another.
“I think there is a lot of community interest and participation,†he says.
Andrews says the Carrboro community has already reached out to him – another reason he is ready to begin his work.
“I know Carrboro has such a strong sense of community. You can just feel it,†he says.
“People have reached out and welcomed me already, and I am really appreciative of this opportunity.â€
Maggie Carney is a UNC student writing for the Carrboro Commons, a bi-weekly online lab newspaper for Jock Lauterer’s Community Journalism class at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.