Shuford hired as Onslow County planning director

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Scott Shuford, the former planning director in Asheville, has been hired down on the coast. jdnews.com has the story:

After an 11-month vacancy, Onslow County has a new planning director.

Scott Shuford, 53, a North Carolina native, was hired as the county’s Planning and Development director. He began the position, which pays an annual salary of $96,500, last week.

“I’m happy to be here. It’s a very friendly place that has a lot of challenges but also a lot of opportunities,” Shuford said.

Shuford, who has more than 25 years of experience in local government planning, previously worked in senior planning and management positions in Asheville, Wilmington and Carolina Beach, as well as in St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Brevard County in Florida. He has a master’s degree in regional planning from UNC Chapel Hill.

Most recently, Shuford worked in the private sector as a planning consultant, managing his own planning consulting firm, Shuford Planning Services.

“I really missed the opportunity to work in the public sector,” he said.

Shuford was one of three candidates interviewed for the position, said Interim County Manager David Smitherman.

“Mr. Shuford’s practical experience and the type of communities he’s worked in before, the issues he’d dealt with in those communities all gave him a considerable advantage above the other two,” Smitherman said.

Not only did Shuford’s professional experience give him a leg up on the competition, but so did his personality and work ethic, Smitherman said.