The Crayton Era ends, quietly
Jenks Crayton is out as Guilford County's tax director. Scroll to the bottom of today's story for details.
A deal between Crayton and the commissioners had been in the works for awhile. Crayton has been unable to work for much of the year as he recovers from what he has called complications from an emergency surgery, and it became clear that commissioners probably wouldn't reappoint him when his four-year term ends in June.
The vote was 7-3, with Democrats Skip Alston, Bruce Davis and Carolyn Coleman voting no. Alston said he was glad to see Crayton go, but he said he didn't want to give the tax chief four months pay "for doing nothing," so he voted against the resignation agreement.
Crayton has long had detractors on the board, but in recent months his Republican allies weren't jumping out to defend him like they did last year, when Democrats accused him of all sorts of tax-related misdeeds.
"We came for his defense because he was innocent outside of how he was accused," Republican Billy Yow told me last night. On why Crayton was inclined to quit his job, Yow said: "I guess he has reasons beyond discussion."
Crayton didn't attend the meeting, and he hasn't returned a phone call. I'll try to update this post if I can get up with him later today.
More on Crayton's many run-ins with the county commissioners here, here, here, and here.
Even more from Allen Johnson here, here, here, and here.
And even more from Doug Clark here, here, here, and here.
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