On Jan. 18, Brent Trout was sworn in as the new county manager in Harnett County. 

Administering the oath was County Attorney Dwight W. Snow and Trout’s wife held the Bible during the ceremony. 

The decision to appoint Trout came during a Jan. 3 Harnett County Board of Commissioners meeting. Trout succeeds George Wood, who served as the interim county manager since May 17, 2021. 
“I would like to thank my fellow Commissioners for their hard work in selecting a new County Manager and ask them to join me in welcoming Mr. Brent Trout as the new County Manager,” stated Harnett County Board of Commissioners Chairman Lewis Weatherspoon. “Mr. Trout has real strengths in bringing people together to achieve goals, and he will be a great asset to Harnett County.”

Slavin Management Consultants, an independent management consulting firm with 30 years’ experience in public sector organizations, conducted the nationwide search for the role. 
“When the Board began the selection process, we listed several areas of expertise that we were looking for such as economic development, airport management, regional water and sewer management and a strong financial background,” continued Chairman Weatherspoon. “Mr. Trout has a great deal of experience in each of these areas, and will be a great leader for our County staff. I look forward to working with Mr. Trout as we continue to move Harnett County forward.”
Trout has over 30 years of experience in local government administration.He internetd with the City of Des Moines, Iowa in the city manager’s office and the Iowa Department of Economic Development; worked as the city administrator and clerk for the City of Bancroft, Iowa, the City of Eagle Grove, Iowa, the City of Boone Iowa, and Mason City, Iowa; and was appointed as the city manager of the City of Topeka in Kansas in 2017. 

“I want to commend the Harnett County Board of Commissioners on their selection of Mr. Trout as their new County Manager,” stated Wood. “He brings a great deal of local government management experience and a solid track record of achieving results for the communities he has served. I am confident he will provide sound judgement and effective leadership as Harnett County continues to deal with rapid growth.”

In his new position, Trout’s duties include “supervising all County offices, departments, boards, commissions and agencies, and preparing and submitting an annual budget and Capital Improvement Program to Commissioners. He will also be tasked with building teams to provide quality services to the County’s citizens, while receiving direction and carrying out the vision of the Harnett County Board of Commissioners,” a press release said. 

"I am truly excited to be selected by the Harnett County Commissioners to be their next County Manager,” stated Trout. “Harnett County is a growing area of the state, and I am thrilled to join the leadership team that will move the county forward.

“There is so much potential for continued growth and prosperity in this beautiful part of the state. I feel like my experience and background serving in rural areas, as well as more recently working in a large city, have prepared me well for creating economic development and managing the operations of Harnett County. I look forward to working with the Commissioners, staff, and all the communities in the County.”