The former town manager of Fort Mill announced his retirement after serving only two years in the same role for Surfside Beach.
In an email, Dennis Pieper said he was “happy to announce that I am retiring in September after nearly 29 years of public service to our great State of South Carolina.”
Pieper is well known in the Fort Mill community and was praised before leaving as someone who “served the town well.” He left Fort Mill in May 2018 after serving as town manager for five years. Before that, Pieper was city manager in Tega Cay for two years. (Davy Broom was named the new town manager of Fort Mill after Pieper left.)
Pieper came under fire in Surfside Beach earlier this year for putting a popular planning and zoning director on paid leave. That move came amid moves by the Surfside Beach council that damaged the residents’ ability to acquire flood insurance, according to media reports. (See video below of residents.)
At one point, the Surfside Beach mayor and council fired all members of the Planning Commission except one member.
Last month, three town council members sued three other members of the council and the town, claiming a vote to award a contract to a bidding party for construction of a revamped fishing pier was illegal, according to myhorrynews.com.
As town administrator, Pieper is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the town. He received a master’s degree in business administration from Southern Wesleyan University and has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and e-commerce.
