Onslow Hires First Full-Time County Attorney
Onslow County Government has announced the hiring of its first full-time County Attorney. Ms. Lesley Moxley, of Macon County, North Carolina was unanimously approved by the Board of Commissioners during a special meeting on Tuesday, June 15th.
Originally from the Kinston/Lenoir County area, Ms. Moxley is a graduate of the Wake Forest University School of Law and has practiced law in North Carolina since 1990. Her field of expertise is in government law where she has gained tremendous experience working for such employers as The Sanford Holshouser Law Firm of Pinehurst, Moore County Government, Durham County Government, and most recently Macon County Government. Ms. Moxley is the immediate past president of the North Carolina Association of County Attorneys.
“Our community faces complex challenges”, said County Manager Jeff Hudson, “the Board of Commissioners has hired an individual with a great deal of experience in North Carolina government law.” Hudson stated that this hire marks a major change in direction for the County, which has been served solely by retained attorneys in past years. Onslow County financial records indicate that past annual payments to retained county attorneys exceeded $200,000. Ms. Moxley’s starting salary is $130,000 which represents a cost savings to the County.
The county attorney position reports to the Board of Commissioners and serves as the chief legal advisor to the Board and County Administration. The county attorney will also be available to all county departments. “Attorneys on retainer, by necessity, must serve all their clients and might therefore be less available to the County in a time of need” Hudson stated. “We now have an attorney who is focused on service to only one client: the citizens of Onslow County” he added.
Ms. Moxley fills the void left by Mr. Ron VonLembke who left the county attorney position in December 2009 when he relocated away from the area. Ms. Moxley’s first day on the job will be July 1, 2010.
