Lauren Hardin produced this report on her interview with Duplin County Manager Mike Aldridge and tour of the County Administrative Building as part of her pre-conference assignment before attending the NCACC's YouthVoice 2015.

1. MIKE ALDRIDGE
An interview with Mike Aldridge and tour of the administrative building
By Lauren Hardin

2. The Duplin County Manager's Office consists of the County Manager and Secretarial Staff. The staff is
charged with handling the day-to-day operations of County Government and works closely with the Duplin
County Board of Commissioners. The Manager is responsible for managing and coordinating the
implementation of the Board policies and directives. The Manager serves as Budget Officer and oversees the
budget which supports over all the county's departments and agencies. The Manager ensures that services are
provided in a positive and timely manner.
According to the 2010 census and area information, Duplin County serves as a residence for 58,505 people. Across the
various towns and rural areas, Duplin County is growing from slightly over 49,000 people in 2000 to almost 59,000
presently. Our temperate climate, low tax rate, close proximity to more than 5 military bases, and the recreational
opportunities are but a few of the credits given our growth.”
Duplin County is primarily an agricultural area, but also serves as home to a variety of other industries. The majority
of Duplin's citizens are high school graduates, while some have gone on to higher educational institutions.
Duplin County's more populated areas include: Wallace, Warsaw, Rose Hill, Beulaville, Faison, Magnolia,
Kenansville—the county seat, Greenevers, Calypso and Teachey.
http://www.duplincountync.com/governmentOffic
es/manager.htm

3. County manager Mike Aldridge and I
Bachelor of Science
County Manager
Duplin County
August 2006 –
Present (8 years 11
months

4. No such thing as a weekend
Mike Aldridge drives home from the Duplin County offices where he works as county manager. It's finally
evening, the phones were ringing all day, and he’s tired from multiple meetings. He parks next to his
house while the sun is sitting low in the sky and goes inside. Through his back window he can see the
hog houses at the back of his field: eight long barns, each filled with 720 pigs. Aldridge heads outside
and makes his way towards the persistent "YING YING YING YING," the mechanical sound of an empty
feeder.
Like many contract hog farmers, Aldridge leads a sort of double life. He has an office job, what farmers
call a "public job," that provides a steady source of income and, most importantly, health insurance.
“It’s one of those necessities of life,” Aldridge said. “You’ve got to have insurance, and we don’t provide
insurance on the farm."
Aldridge said most hog farmers need a public job to make ends meet, or they have to diversify into other
farming operations like corn, tobacco or cows.
But at the end of a long day at the office, the hogs still need to be cared for.
http://wholehognc.org/community.html
From Pulled, by Jess Clark

5. The administrative building
The commissioner’s
meeting room The lobby

6. Touring the administrative building with Mike Aldridge
The door to Mike Aldridge’s office

7. Mike Aldridge at work during a
county meeting.
I spoke at a county meeting about my experience
the past 3 years with the NCACC Youth Summit. I
discussed the importance of local government and
thanked Commissioner Frances Parkes and
Commissioner Anita Powers for attending the
Summit. I awarded both with a plaque.

8. Take a look around the
administrative building…

9. Visits
with
the
Staff