Cayce city manager announces plans to leave after less than 6 months in role
Jim Crosland, who was hired as the city manager of Cayce in December, will step down from the city’s top administrative role, multiple sources with the city confirmed.
His last day with the city will be Aug. 8, the city announced in a press release Tuesday evening.
Crosland’s retirement is another in a string of departures for some of the city’s top positions. Since July of last year, two police chiefs and now two city managers have left the city of about 14,000 across the Congaree River from the state’s capital. The news of his pending departure comes less than six months after he was formally hired for the job.
“It’s a rarity that in an organization someone can start at the very basic entry level position and have an opportunity to retire as the city manager,” Crosland said in a statement to city council members. “I believe we have set a firm foundation for moving forward with a concentration in economic development, code compliance procedures, implementing new employee incentives and creating wonderful partnerships with our citizens and commercial partners.”
He was tapped for the interim role in July, after Cayce’s former city manager, Tracy Hegler, left after six years. Crosland was formally hired by the city council in December.
Cayce operates under a council-manager form of government, meaning that the city council is responsible for things like passing ordinances and adopting a budget while the city manager carries out those ordinances and handles day-to-day city operations.
Crosland had been with Cayce since 2016, serving as the assistant director of the police department before becoming the deputy city manager and then being promoted. In his role overseeing the city, Crosland’s salary was $160,000 annually.
“We are thankful for Jim for all he has done throughout his entire career for the City of Cayce,” Mayor Elise Partin said in a statement. “We wish him the best of luck in his retirement from the city.”
Councilman Hunter Sox added in a statement: “Jim is a true servant leader who has left his legacy at Cayce. He is one of the hardest-working people who has worked for our city.”
Top departures in Cayce
Hegler’s departure came after she led the Cayce city council through a contentious budget season in the summer of last year. The “mutually agreed voluntary separation,” as the city called it, was reached after the council met behind closed doors in executive session for nearly four hours to get legal advice related to road and employment issues. Partin, the mayor, was the sole vote not to accept the separation.
In December, Herbert Blake, the police chief the city hired in September, abruptly resigned from the department’s leading role. He took the job following the resignation of Chris Cowan, who led the department for nearly three years.
In Blake’s brief, three-sentence resignation letter, he thanked the city for the opportunity. Cayce officials haven’t commented on why Blake left the role, but through interviews with police department staff and public records requests, The State reported that many department employees felt Blake had created a hostile work environment.
Cayce announced the hiring of its new police chief, former West Columbia assistant police chief, Bruce Wade, in March.
“We know that there’s been a lot of transition for our city of Cayce team lately, but we will get back to the right place together,” Partin said, during Tuesday night’s council meeting.
This is a developing story.
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 4:52 PM.
