Associated Press

WILMINGTON -- All three Alcoholic Beverage Control board members in New Hanover County announced their resignations Monday in an attempt to defuse controversy over the salaries of the board's father-and-son administrative leaders.

Chairman Charles Wells, Richard Hanson and Stephen Culbreth told the county commissioners in their resignation letter they hoped to dissipate public "misunderstandings" about their performance as board members.

The announcement comes after scrutiny of the county's ABC board and the pay of administrator Billy Williams and his son, assistant administrator Bradley Williams.

Billy Williams earns $232,200 annually, while Bradley Williams gets a salary of $115,500. The Star-News of Wilmington reported recently the pair's pay had increased by about 50 percent in the past five years and both men received cash bonuses.

The father and son each make more than state ABC commission chairman Jon Williams and state administrator Michael Herring. Local boards similar in size and sales pay their administrators half as much as what the elder Williams makes.

The resigning board members have defended the salaries they approved, arguing that Billy Williams, who first began working as an ABC clerk in 1968, and his son both worked their way through the ranks. Billy Williams doesn't set his son's salary.

"The divisiveness of the continuing disputes become more insidious and disruptive of the functioning of the ABC system," the local ABC board members wrote to the commissioners. "We hope our resignations will remove the pall of misunderstanding and enable you to appoint a new board."

Commissioners will discuss naming an interim board to run the ABC system until a new, permanent board is named. County and municipal ABC boards in North Carolina sell liquor to the public and to those licensed to sell mixed beverages and can hire officers to enforce liquor laws.

"This puts it to bed and now we can move forward and make positive changes," said county commission chairman Jason Thompson. The resignations were announced on the same day the commissioners scheduled a public hearing with Alcoholic Beverage Control board members. The ABC members were expected to take questions on the pay issue, but the hearing was canceled.

Billy Williams said Monday he's "absolutely sick" about the resignations and said he would consider taking a pay cut if necessary.

"They've been bashed a lot," he said. "I don't blame them for leaving."

New Hanover sold nearly $31 million worth of liquor during the 2008-09 fiscal year, at a profit margin above 14 percent -- marking one of best performances in the state.

The board has run the system well but erred in giving out such large salaries, county commissioner Bobby Greer said.

Gov. Beverly Perdue told the state board in November to examine the wide disparity in the salaries of local board administrators.