MECKLEBURG COUNTY, N.C. — In a couple of months, Mike Bryant will start his dream job. Bryant has been working toward the county manager position ever since being hired by the county in the early 2000s. He said he knows he has big shoes to fill.
“There was a little nervous energy,” Bryant said about his interview process. “But my view of nervous energy is that it helps with your preparation. It makes sure that you don’t take anything for granted. I certainly stayed prayed up as well.”
Bryant will take over as county manager on July 1. He started his career with Mecklenburg County in 2003 as a budget analyst. Since 2020, he has been serving as deputy county manager.
“It’s not often that you get to combine your passion and your professional interest in one role, and I get that opportunity as the next county manager,” he said.
He’ll take over for his mentor, the retiring County Manager Dena Diorio.
Diorio is known for her no-nonsense, direct approach. Bryant says he’ll apply many of those straightforward attitudes but with more collaboration.
“Dena was certainly successful in her role as county manager. She’s one of the best to ever do it,” he said. “And with respect to that, my tenure as manager will be my own.”
From the embattled Brooklyn Village to revaluation in 2027, Bryant will have no shortage of big projects to oversee. Bryant says one of his main goals is working with the Board of Commissioners to achieve their priorities.
“You’re talking about education, environmental services, economic development, health and wellness, senior services, workforce development, as well as reducing racial disparities,” Bryant said. “If you think about the positive outcomes that can result from actions and strategies employed that are associated with those priorities, it can be transformational for this community.”
Channel 9 Government Reporter Joe Bruno is introducing you to Mike Bryant on this Sunday’s Political Beat.
The in-depth interview airs Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. on Channel 9 and at 10:30 p.m. on TV64.
VIDEO: Mecklenburg County commissioners to announce new county manager
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