Forsyth County picks finalist for county manager position

Forsyth County manager finalist Eric Johnson CONTRIBUTED

Forsyth County manager finalist Eric Johnson CONTRIBUTED

Forsyth County government is closer to having new top leadership.

The Board of Commissioners recently picked Eric Johnson as the sole finalist for the county manager’s job. He’s currently the assistant county administrator for Hillsborough County, Florida and has been in that role since 2015. He’s also held several other jobs for that county including director of strategic planning and budget manager.

The county manager position has been vacant since Doug Derrer retired in April. Deputy manager Tim Merritt has been serving on an interim basis since then. County officials said they plan on finalizing an employment contract with Johnson at their Aug. 3 regular meeting.

The county manager’s job includes working with commissioners to establish goals and policies and supervising county administration offices and senior management.