Lexington City Manager Terra Greene to step down this year

Lexington City Manager Terra Greene has told city officials that she is stepping down this year.

Greene became the first woman to hold the top administrative position in Lexington when she was appointed four years ago. It was the culmination of a decades-long tenure in city government that began with a position as finance director in 1997. 

Mayor Jason Hayes says it will be hard to replace someone with that much local experience.

”Because that’s 25 years of relationships that have been built both from an internal city-employee standpoint as well as external relationships in and around our community,” he says.

Hayes says Greene’s time as manager has been marked with challenges that have included working on the city’s COVID-19 response and the controversial decision to remove the Confederate monument from Main Street.

Also, under Greene’s leadership, steel producer Nucor announced plans to bring more than 150 jobs to Lexington with a new plant. 

Hayes says it’s a tough hiring market for city managers and finding Greene’s replacement will likely take at least six months. She’s expected to stay on during the search and there are no plans to appoint an interim city manager.