Sarah Bishop has been named the interim town manager for Franklin with the departure of Amie Owens.
In a special town council meeting Monday evening, the finance director/assistant town manager was promoted by a unanimous vote. Councilman Travis Higdon could not attend the meeting due to previous work commitments. Mayor Stacy Guffey only votes to break a tie.
Bishop was out of town at a leadership conference, but she provided Macon Sense a comment.
“I am honored to step into this role during this time of transition and continue serving the community I’ve lived in and loved for so long, and proudly worked for over the past ten years. I want to express my sincere gratitude to Amie Owens for her dedicated service and leadership, which has left Franklin in a strong position,” Bishop said. “Moving forward, my focus is on supporting our incredible town staff and ensuring that our daily operations, essential public services, and active community projects move forward without a single missed beat. Alongside our dedicated team, I look forward to working closely with Mayor Guffey, the Town Council, and our residents to maintain the stability, transparency, and progress our town deserves.”
The lifelong Franklin resident brings a decade of dedicated service to the municipality, and is credited with a practical and steady approach to managing the town’s fiscal health and supporting its daily operations.
Mayor Stacy Guffey told Macon Sense town leadership will determine “in the next couple of weeks about how we handle the transition to a permanent replacement.”
The resolution
According to John Henning, Franklin’s attorney, statutory guidelines require the town to name an interim manager in order to carry out the duties and requirements needed to run the town’s business.
Henning said, Bishop can “lawfully hold both positions of interim town manager and finance officer at the same time.” In July, Bishop was promoted to serve a dual role as finance director and assistant town manager.
“She is imminently qualified to serve in that position,” he said.
Prior to the vote, Henning read the entire resolution. See it in full here:
Owens departure
Everyone who spoke at the meeting echoed the idea that Amie Owens and the town separated amicably. The fact that the town’s press release on the change in leadership included quotes from Owens and the mayor proves this point. Had there been acrimony, the announcement would have looked very different.
At last night’s meeting, Mayor Guffey again praised Owens for the accomplishments and improvements she brought to Franklin’s town government.
“There were a lot of processes at the town that were informal, informal agreements,” he said. “Amie was able to go through systematically and improve those processes and formalize the agreements. There are a lot of fundamentals at the town of Franklin that are much better.
“But I have to say, I think the biggest improvement we’ve seen is that she put together, I think, the best team, the best staff that we’ve ever had in the Town of Franklin, and she should be commended for that.”
The mayor also addressed some of the public comments made across social media channels questioning the town’s “transparency” on the changes. And while he admitted the process on Friday could have been improved, the information strictly followed legal standards. Businesses and governments cannot disclose the specifics of personnel matters.
About Bishop
She is a constant figure volunteering at all of the town-sponsored events.
According to the town’s website, she holds certifications from the North Carolina Government Finance Officers Association and the North Carolina Local Government Budget Association. She also is a graduate of the Municipal and County Administration program through the UNC School of Government.
Her academic background includes an associate’s degree in business administration from Southwestern Community College and a bachelor’s degree in business management and leadership from Capella University.
A graduate of Franklin High School, she takes great pride in serving her home community. She and her husband, Mitchell, are currently raising their three children.
She enjoys spending quality time with her family and staying active within her local church and also serves as treasurer on the Macon County CareNet Board.
