HAMLET — City Manager John Terziu is stepping away from his position next month.
Terziu announced his leaving Friday afternoon in an email to several members of the media with the subject line reading: “Final message to the City of Hamlet and Richmond County.”
Below is Terziu’s message in full, with no edits:
June 9th marks the end of my service to the City of Hamlet.
Before entering local government, I served this country for 20 years as an Infantryman and in the Special Operations community. I spent much of my adult life training for or deployed across Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria while additionally supporting operations throughout Africa and Southeast Asia. After retiring from military service, I chose to continue serving through local government because I truly believed that duty, accountability, and service to the American people did not end when the uniform came off.
When I came to Hamlet 18 months ago, I came with one mission: move this city forward.
Despite every obstacle, we delivered.
Projects that had sat dormant for years moved into execution. Financial stability was restored. Critical infrastructure funding was secured. Public safety modernization advanced. Economic development returned. Standards were raised. Systems were built.
None of that happened by accident.
It happened because dedicated employees chose professionalism over politics. They worked through distractions, endured attacks, ignored rumors, and continued serving this community with integrity.
But the past 18 months also revealed something far larger than any municipal challenge.
Too often, public servants are faced less with solving problems and more with character assassination. Facts are replaced by narratives. Accountability is replaced by outrage. Frivolous allegations are made without evidence and repeated as fact. Individuals willing to challenge dysfunction are treated as enemies rather than partners in progress. Instead of debating ideas and solutions, too much energy is spent attacking the character of those appointed to make difficult decisions, demand higher standards, and enforce accountability.
The harder we pushed for reform, transparency, and higher standards, the harder some worked to undermine those efforts through misinformation, division, and personal attacks. Dedicated public servants became targets simply because they refused to accept the status quo.
I have never been willing to compromise my principles to gain acceptance, protect a position, or become part of a system that values loyalty over accountability.
I was not hired to be part of a good old boy network. I was hired to lead.
Throughout my career, whether in combat overseas or public service at home, I have believed that leaders have an obligation to confront problems, challenge dysfunction, and speak honestly about issues that affect the people they serve. When I see something that is wrong, I address it. When I see barriers preventing progress, I challenge them. When I see people without a voice, I do everything in my power to ensure they are heard.
I will never apologize for demanding accountability, transparency, and higher standards. Those principles have guided me throughout my life, and they will continue to guide me long after I leave this position.
Some may disagree with my approach. That is their right.
But leadership is not about protecting comfort. It is about doing what is right, even when it is unpopular.
After spending two decades in combat zones overseas, I never expected to return home and witness more energy spent attacking people than solving problems.
It is a shame that generations of Americans fought and died defending this nation only to see civic discourse deteriorate into a culture where outrage is rewarded, division is profitable, and character assassination is the result of holding people accountable.
Eventually, the hostility surrounding this position crossed a line and became a legitimate concern for my family's safety. No title, profession, or position will ever outweigh my responsibility to my family.
That reality ultimately made this decision simple.
For most of my adult life, service came first. The Army came first. Deployments came first. Missions came first. People I did not even know, came first.
Now, for the first time in decades, I have the opportunity to focus on the most important thing in life: family.
That is where my focus now belongs.
But before I leave, let me make one thing clear:
The foundation is set.
The water treatment and wastewater treatment plants will be built.
The critical infrastructure projects will continue.
The financial stability will remain.
The economic development momentum will continue because it was built on fundamentals, not personalities.
The future of Hamlet was never dependent on one individual. Sustainable progress never is. Real leadership builds systems, develops people, and creates momentum that continues long after a leader departs.
Because leadership is not measured by popularity.
It is not measured by politics.
It is not measured by gossip.
It is not measured by social media outrage.
It is measured by results.
Long after the noise is forgotten, the projects will still exist.
The investments will still be here.
The opportunities will still be moving forward.
And the record will remain exactly what it is today:
Hamlet is stronger than it was 18 months ago.
That is not an opinion.
That is not a narrative.
That is not politics.
That is the outcome.
Results endure.
Everything else is temporary.
Wishing all the best for the future of Hamlet,
John
Terzu’s email was released the same day he was scheduled to appear in court on a misdemeanor charge of communicating threats, levied by Hamlet resident Sean Patrick Smith. Online court records had not been updated by the time of writing. All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
UPDATE: Court records show the case was dismissed without leave by the district attorney's office.
Smith had previously been the defendant in a Scotland County case when Terziu filed charges of stalking and cyberstalking against him. That case was dismissed April 1, records show.
Terziu is the fourth city manager for Hamlet in the past decade, following the departure of Marchell Adams-David — now city manager for Raleigh — in 2014.
After working for Aberdeen, Terziu signed a contract to become Hamlet’s manager in December of 2024 and was supposed to start Jan. 6 of 2025.
However, his start was delayed when, the day before, he was reportedly stabbed by his son. Online court records show Chase Terziu was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon causing serious injury on May 4, 2026. Additional charges of larceny of a motor vehicle and larceny of a firearm were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, records show.
In July 2025, Terziu fired then-chief of the Hamlet Police Department Dennis Brown for what was later described as a “catastrophic loss of trust and confidence.” Major Hudson Chitwood also resigned when Brown was terminated.
In the following months, it was revealed that a female police officer — later identified as Hufsa Lodhi — had made a sexual harassment claim against Terziu. City Attorney T.C. Morphis said the matter was investigated and that “the allegation is completely unsubstantiated.”
No criminal charges were ever filed against Terziu in that matter.
In August, Terziu called for “an immediate investigation into Richmond County’s allocation of $375,000 in public funds to Rockingham Speedway, as well as retaliatory actions taken against the City of Hamlet for advocating for essential public services.” The SBI began investigating the matter the following month.
In December, Terziu filed a civil lawsuit against Smith and resident Esco Latimer — who have both been publicly critical of the manager — as well as against Brown, Chitwood and Lohdi, claiming defamation, slander and libel.
That case is still pending.
During Terziu's tenure, several businesses opened on Hamlet's Main Street, including Big Tomato Marketing, Riverside Bakery and Coffee Shop and Landmark Tavern.
In February, Terziu told the city council about a potentinal economic development project involving the pending sale of a near-65-acre tract that could generate up to 1,000 jobs.
During the May meeting, he said that the land deal should close next month with an initial investment of $35 million and overall eventual investment of $167 million.
The city's budget, set for adoption at the next meeting, includes a property tax reduction and no utility increases.
NOTE: This story has been updated to include that the pending criminal charge was dismissed. 4:40 p.m. 5-29-26.
