Eddie Madden’s return as town manager for the Town of Elizabethtown became official Tuesday, May 26.
The 55-year-old administrator took the oath of office from Town attorney Goldston Womble during a ceremony inside Council chambers prior to the noon work session.
New finance director Regina Valenta also took her oath of office.
“Very few people get the chance to return to organizations they have previously served in,” Madden said in a prepared statement during Tuesday night’s session. “I am thankful for the opportunity to return and rectify many of the questionable decisions made by the previous administration and to change the culture that better represents the heart of Elizabethtown.”
Madden served as Elizabethtown’s manager for 13 years before becoming Columbus County manager in 2021. He replaces Dane Rideout, who resigned in June 2025. Mark McMichael had served as interim town manager while commissioners searched for a new manager.
He had planned to retire as Columbus County manager at the end of this year, but the Elizabethtown Council reached out about returning to his previous job.
“We’re thankful because Eddie shares the same values that we share,” Elizabethtown Mayor Sylvia Campbell said. “We’re just so thankful that he loves this town, he loves our citizens and we know the kind of leader he is because we’ve had him before. We know the great things that he accomplished. He led us to places that we hadn’t envisioned. He’s a visionary as well as a manager. The greatest growth that we’ve had in the history of the town was when he was the town manager.”
Madden announced the return of Nick West as Planning/Project Manager and Mitch Taylor as an airport employee. He said he expects other personnel announcements soon.
The town’s annual budget must be approved by June 30. Madden told Council he expects to present a budget June 15 and a public hearing will be scheduled June 29.
Madden listed four goals for the Town for the fiscal year that begins July 1:
1. Restore confidence and trust in the community;
2. Complete projects that are underway;
3. Realign the organization to priorities that put our citizens and employees at the forefront;
4. Make Town Hall more accessible to the public while adding safety measures that protect our employees.
Earlier this month, a man shot at the Elizabethtown Police Department building, which is located inside Town Hall. The incident happened about 12:30 a.m. on May 12. The windows beside the entry doors to Town Hall were boarded up Tuesday, May 26.
“The profession that I have devoted my entire career to has been overtaken by people who seek to promote themselves rather than the communities they serve and discredit others to make themselves look good,” Madden said. “It is both sad and disappointing to witness. As long as I am your manager, that will not be the case here. We will restore unity. We will strengthen the community. We will rebuild relationships and forge a unified strategy that will make us stronger. Finally, we will treat our community partners with respect and work in unison to promote Elizabethtown and Bladen County.”
Rideout’s tenure ended amid legal battles and harsh feelings with the Bladen County Board of Commissioners and Bladen Bloomin’ Agri-Industrial Inc., the economic development organization that works to bring jobs to the county.
The Town of Elizabethtown and Rideout reached a settlement agreement signed June 13, 2025 whereby neither side admitted wrongdoing. Rideout was given the equivalent of 12 months’ salary not to exceed $125,460, the equivalent of 12 months payment in lieu of health insurance not to exceed $6,000 and 25 days of accrued paid time off as part of the settlement, document showed.
Rideout recently resigned as manager for the Town of Benson.
“Today, the culture of this organization changes for the good,” Madden said. “Elizabethtown will once again be known as a welcoming community where progress is made but not at the expense of others. As an organization, we will be known for being customer friendly and welcoming to business, industry, and visitors. We will treat our community partners with respect. Now is the time to heal and be restored.”
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