Former Magistrate Judge Webb cites financial concerns for leaving UNC BOG | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal, and written by Kari Travis, associate editor.

    Judge William Webb (Photo from Fayetteville State University website)

    Former University of North Carolina System Board of Governors member Bill Webb, who resigned in January, vacated his seat for financial reasons, according to his resignation letter.

    The document, tendered to UNC Board Chairman Harry Smith on Jan. 31, says, "I believe it is past time to maximize my earning potential in order to better provide for my family."

    Webb, a 75-year-old former magistrate judge who currently serves as a senior adviser for Raleigh's Shanahan Law Group, told Smith, "although I am associated with a law firm I have spent a great deal of my time on BOG activities which has severely restricted my income."

    Webb has served on the board since his appointment in 2015. His term was set to end on June 30.

    A public servant for decades, Webb was a local prosecutor in Pennsylvania, a senior staff attorney in the U.S. House of Representatives, and an assistant U.S. attorney. He also worked with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as a member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Washington, D.C.

    Webb served as a U.S. magistrate judge for 14 years in North Carolina's Eastern District. Earlier he had worked in many roles at the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, including as deputy secretary and then general counsel.