Deputy Commissioner Oversees ABC Ops

Terrance Merriweather will oversee daily operations of the NC ABC Commission until Governor Roy Cooper appoints a new chairman.

Merriweather is the Deputy Commissioner of the NC ABC Commission and oversees the functions of the Commission’s Legal, Programming, Special Services, Human Resources and Operations sections.

Previously, Merriweather served as the deputy director of policy, since 2018, where he oversaw the Permit, Audit/Investigation, and Legal sections of the NC ABC Commission, to include being the law enforcement liaison.

His law enforcement career began in 1997 as a deputy sheriff with the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office and continued on in his role as deputy sheriff with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

In 2003, he was hired by the NC Alcohol Law Enforcement Division and in 2017 became the Branch Head. Merriweather is a United States Army veteran and graduate of Liberty University.

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Zander Guy Resigns as NC ABC Commissioner

Sep 20-24, 2021

The article below was excerpted from an article published by AP reporter Gary Robertson on September 20. Click here to read the entire article.

The chairman of the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission has resigned from the board, citing anxiety over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the agency’s recent challenges with liquor distribution.

A.D. “Zander” Guy submitted his resignation on Friday to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who appointed him to the chairmanship in early 2017.

Guy, who also previously served as chairman when Democrat Beverly Perdue was governor, said in a phone interview Monday that recent events led he and his wife to reassess his service.

The former mayor of Surf City said he’ll be 73 next month and that two friends and an uncle with COVID-19 had died in the last 90 days. Guy also said liquor supply troubles, including the rollout of a new computerized inventory and ordering software program by the ABC system’s warehouse operations contractor, had led to added stress.

“When you can’t sleep at night and you’re worrying about things that you can’t control, it’s time to readjust,” Guy told The Associated Press, adding later: “I’m done.”

Cooper’s office on Monday thanked Guy for his service on the commission. Guy’s three-sentence resignation letter, provided by the governor’s office, didn’t go into specifics.

NC Association of ABC Boards President Nancy Gooch echoed Governor Cooper’s appreciation. “We appreciate Zander’s public service to our state and its ABC System,” she said. “We look forward to working with the next ABC Commissioner to strengthen the ABC System and tackle the many challenges ahead.”

There are two other commissioners who also serve at the pleasure of the governor. The chairman is considered a full-time, salaried position. The commission oversees the state’s wholesale and retail liquor distribution. The liquor comes from licensed distillers to the state’s two alcohol warehouses before it gets shipped to local ABC stores for sale.

Click here to read the entire article published by the Associated Press.

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