Steady hand steps aside in Waynesville
Hites has been with the Town of Waynesville for about a decade.
File photo
After nearly a decade at the helm of Waynesville government, Town Manager Rob Hites announced Feb. 27 that he will retire July 1.
Hites arrived in 2016 following a long career in local government across North Carolina. Born in Reno and raised in Alabama, he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. An urban government course led to an internship with the Greensboro mayor, setting him on a path that would lead to decades of local government administration.
After Greensboro, Hites attended graduate school at American University in Washington, D.C., and began working full-time for the General Accounting Office. He was then selected to help set up the Federal Election Commission as one its first 16 employees.
His first town manager job was in Pittsboro, but his career would include city manager posts in multiple municipalities before his hiring in Waynesville.
When he took the job, Hites said he hoped to build on the town’s strengths while positioning it for long-term growth. During his tenure, Waynesville navigated major infrastructure investments, personnel transitions and recovery from the Great Recession, the Coronavirus Pandemic, Tropical Storm Fred and Hurricane Helene.
Working under the council-manager form of government, Hites oversaw day-to-day operations while implementing policy set by the mayor and town council.
Related Items
Partner Content: Appalachian True Heritage Festival Returns to Downtown Waynesville in 2026
HART presents ‘Ethnically Ambiguous’
Drought, yard burns raise wildfire risk
Learn about solar energy and incentives
Council members have not yet detailed a succession plan but are expected to begin a search process in the coming months using consultants to solicit candidates and narrow the field.
“If I’ve done my job right,” Hites said, “you won’t know that I’m gone.”
