MIKE ALDRIDGE

An interview with Mike Aldridge and tour of the administrative building By Lauren Hardin

The Duplin County Manager's Office consists of the County Manager and Secretarial Staff. The staff is charged with handling the day-to-day operations of County Government and works closely with the Duplin County Board of Commissioners. The Manager is responsible for managing and coordinating the implementation of the Board policies and directives. The Manager serves as Budget Officer and oversees the budget which supports over all the county's departments and agencies. The Manager ensures that services are provided in a positive and timely manner.

According to the 2010 census and area information, Duplin County serves as a residence for 58,505 people. Across the various towns and rural areas, Duplin County is growing from slightly over 49,000 people in 2000 to almost 59,000 presently. Our temperate climate, low tax rate, close proximity to more than 5 military bases, and the recreational opportunities are but a few of the credits given our growth.” Duplin County is primarily an agricultural area, but also serves as home to a variety of other industries. The majority of Duplin's citizens are high school graduates, while some have gone on to higher educational institutions. Duplin County's more populated areas include: Wallace, Warsaw, Rose Hill, Beulaville, Faison, Magnolia, Kenansville—the county seat, Greenevers, Calypso and Teachey.

http://www.duplincountync.com/governmentOffices/manager.htm

County manager Mike Aldridge and I

Bachelor of Science

County Manager Duplin County August 2006 – Present (8 years 11 months

No such thing as a weekend Mike Aldridge drives home from the Duplin County offices where he works as county manager. It's finally evening, the phones were ringing all day, and he’s tired from multiple meetings. He parks next to his house while the sun is sitting low in the sky and goes inside. Through his back window he can see the hog houses at the back of his field: eight long barns, each filled with 720 pigs. Aldridge heads outside and makes his way towards the persistent "YING YING YING YING," the mechanical sound of an empty feeder. Like many contract hog farmers, Aldridge leads a sort of double life. He has an office job, what farmers call a "public job," that provides a steady source of income and, most importantly, health insurance. “It’s one of those necessities of life,” Aldridge said. “You’ve got to have insurance, and we don’t provide insurance on the farm." Aldridge said most hog farmers need a public job to make ends meet, or they have to diversify into other farming operations like corn, tobacco or cows. But at the end of a long day at the office, the hogs still need to be cared for.

http://wholehognc.org/community.html From Pulled, by Jess Clark

The administrative building

The commissioner’s meeting room The lobby

Touring the administrative building with Mike Aldridge

The door to Mike Aldridge’s office

Mike Aldridge at work during a county meeting.

I spoke at a county meeting about my experience the past 3 years with the NCACC Youth Summit. I discussed the importance of local government and thanked Commissioner Frances Parkes and Commissioner Anita Powers for attending the Summit. I awarded both with a plaque.

Take a look around the administrative building…

Visits with the Staff