Greenville appoints new city manager

The Greenville City Council announced on Oct. 9 Michael Cowin, the current Deputy City Manager for Greenville, will succeed Ann Wall and take over as City Manager at the beginning of November.

Brock Letchworth, Communications Manager of the City of Greenville, said the City Manager's responsibility is to oversee the day-to-day operations of the city and if anyone is qualified for the role, it is Cowin.

“Michael has now been with the city for about eight years,” Letchworth said. “He has been responsible for working with every department within the city at various times so he’s quite familiar with all of that.”

The position became available after Greenville’s current City Manager, Ann Wall, announced retirement from local government in North Carolina, Letchworth said. Wall has had more than 30 years of experience working in local government, he said, and she plans to return to her home state of Virginia and has accepted a position as a county leader there.

Letchworth said during her time as City Manager, Wall was instrumental in establishing the Greenville-Eastern North Carolina Alliance and the development of Wildwood Park.

“I think that we’re all certainly gonna miss Ann,” Letchworth said." She's been very good at establishing partnerships with other organizations throughout Greenville.”

Cowin interviewed with the City Council in early October, Letchworth said and his experience and demonstration of leadership skills convinced the City Council to offer him the position of City Manager.

Letchworth said while Cowin is not a Greenville native, he understands the importance of the city as a cultural and economic center for eastern North Carolina. Cowin will be able to continue much of Wall’s outstanding work, Letchworth said and will establish himself along the way as an effective manager with some of his own accomplishments.

“This is a guy that’s very passionate about Greenville,” Letchworth said. “I think that experience and knowing the area so well and being the strong leader that he is, I think people can take comfort in knowing that the city management is in good hands.”

Michael Cowin, Deputy City Manager of Greenville, said becoming City Manager was a dream come true and he intends to continue his passion of making Greenville a great place to live and work.

It’s important to protect the community, Cowin said, which is why public safety and infrastructure are two of his top priorities as City Manager. Cowin said he also plans to strengthen ties with East Carolina University, where he received both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees.

“I look at myself as a public servant, somebody that has grown up in eastern North Carolina, who loves Pitt county, who loves the city of Greenville,” Cowin said. “I understand just how important ECU is to not only Greenville and Pitt County but to our local economy.”

Both students of ECU and Pitt Community College are important to the city, Cowin said, planning to offer more opportunities for young professionals to contribute to the betterment of eastern North Carolina.

Cowin said he plans to work closely with both the Downtown Greenville Partnership organization and the Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge to not only bring more events to the area but also to beautify and create a lively community that people want to be a part of.

“One of my focuses will be to continue to try to enhance the relationship that we have collectively within our government organization and our economic development alliances,” Cowin said. “To be able to continue moving the district and city forward, and quite frankly what that means is to promote and bring more business to the city.”

Cowin said many parts of eastern North Carolina depend on Greenville, making it necessary to continue to grow the local economy and improve the quality of life. Cooperation and partnership are also critical for Greenville’s future, Cowin said, as City Manager he plans to implement the goals and priorities set by the City Council by making sure everyone remains unified.

Patrick James Connelly, Mayor of Greenville, said Cowin understands and is invested in the Greenville community. Connelly said the City Council decision to make Cowin the new City Manager will make a lot of citizens happy.

“I think the citizens of Greenville see he’s a really good transition from Ann Wall,” Connelly said. “And a lot of great things are still to come and Michael is gonna be there at the forefront to help lead us to those great things.”

“I think the citizens of Greenville see he’s a really good transition from Ann Wall,” Connelly said. “And a lot of great things are still to come and Michael is gonna be there at the forefront to help lead us to those great things.”

Connelly said Cowin is a hard worker and a great communicator who will be able to give the City Council helpful guidance by providing well-informed decisions.

Cowin is also a certified public accountant, Connelly said, making him valuable in terms of budget balance and responsible spending of taxpayers money.

“He’s a wonderful person,” Connelly said. “I think that he’s gonna do a great job, I’m excited to work with him.”

Connelly said Cowin has many years of experience working for the city of Greenville, which makes him an excellent person to oversee employees and the daily operations of the city in addition to being a valuable asset to the future of the community.