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Reference Notes
Calvin Peck
Tab 9
Gary Doetsch – Former Carolina Beach Councilman, Carolina Beach, NC 910-458-6729
Mr. Doetsch has known Mr. Peck since about 1997 when Mr. Peck was the Administrator of
Murfreesboro. Mr. Doetsch was a member of the Town Council. They interviewed Mr. Peck
and made a unanimous decision to hire him. Mr. Peck’s job performance was outstanding.
Whenever Council gave him adequate instructions it never had to wait for him to get started. His
proactive approach was a breath of fresh air because the prior Town Manager made very slow if
any progress. When Mr. Peck approached Council with a plan or idea, he never presented a
fragmented plan. He offered solutions to potential problems along with a means of assessing
how well his plans were working. Council never had to second guess his plans or try to rework
their details down the road.
Mr. Peck was productive and successful when solving problems. When Mr. Doetsch joined the
Council it was facing major challenges. The previous Council had squandered money in the
Town coffers. After Mr. Peck started he put the Town on the right road financially. The Council
provided the roadmap of where it wanted to go, and Mr. Peck offered the strategies for how it
could get there. Mr. Peck was the leading proponent for building up the Town’s capital
improvement fund. One way he accomplished this was by reviewing revenues and determining
if there were instances in which the Town was giving up valuable revenues compared to how
other towns were operating. He examined other towns’ practices and brought back ideas which
their town could incorporate. Mr. Peck was very skilled financially and a good judge of what
needed to be done to get many more capital improvement projects going.
Mr. Peck faced problems and challenges with skill. During one period Murfreesboro was
renovating its Town Hall and was experiencing a major building boom at the beach. So, while
kept the Town going in a positive direction he was also planning for an expansion of the Town,
including additional manpower and funding. If you ask him a question, he is the type of person
who will give you a straight answer with no candy coating. He was always honest and upfront
when dealing with the public. Some people like his approach while others did not. However,
Mr. Peck always acted professionally when he was confronted by difficult residents. A
community member once came into the office and approached him in a very aggressive, caustic
manner. Mr. Peck very calmly explained that the best option at that time was for him to leave
and return when they could sit down and have a respectful discussion.
When he had to make hiring decisions Mr. Peck clearly understood the requirements of each
position, demonstrated that he is a good judge of people, and made sure the person he chose to
hire had the right fit skills and abilities for the job.
Mr. Peck is very committed to his community. Living on the coast, not much time passed before
he experienced his first hurricane. During the storm Mr. Peck did not simply sit in his office and
attempt to manage the situation; he rallied his employees then went out into the community
himself to take care of problems that arose. It was not in his nature to just let crises come to him;
rather he looked out for problems, met them upfront, and worked hard to resolve them.
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