SPRING LAKE — Seems like all the political buzz is about the mayoral race for Fayetteville, but there’s also significant political news in Spring Lake, where incumbents Marvin Lackman and Raul Palacios have decided not to pursue respective third terms as Spring Lake commissioners.
Lackman and Palacios were elected as commissioners in 2021, when the town found itself in the throes of a fiscal fiasco amid allegations of financial wrongdoing, missing money and budget deficits, according to published reports. An investigative audit released by then-N.C. Auditor Beth Wood in 2022 cited years of mismanagement and documented hundreds of thousands of missing dollars.
Today, the town is back on track with a new town manager, a new town attorney and a town finance director after former finance director Gay Tucker was sentenced to four years in prison for embezzlement from the town coffers.
“Everybody says we turned the corner,” Lackman, 58, said Monday. “Now, we are headed in the right direction to see what Spring Lake will be.”
Lackman says he always did his best for Spring Lake residents. His philosophy as a commissioner was simple.
“Is it legal?” he said. “Is it ethical and is it moral? I did as much as I could in four years. I never set out to be a career politician or elected official. As a commissioner, my goal was and is to better Spring Lake.”
‘I’m proud of the progress’
Palacios says as much.
“When I first ran, my priorities were to help stabilize the town’s finances after years of mismanagement and to ensure we had strong, capable leadership at the helm,” he said. “I’m proud of the progress we’ve made and the people I’ve had the privilege to work alongside.
“From community clean-ups to bringing back ‘Yard of the Month,’ from adding public art through murals to restoring pride and trust in our town, these are things I’m proud to have helped inspire and lead in. I’ve been able to accomplish the goals I set out to achieve, and now it’s time for me to step back and focus more on my young family. Serving Spring Lake has been one of the greatest honors of my life, and I’ll continue to serve, just in a different way.
“There will always be more work to do in government, but I also believe in knowing when it’s time to pass the baton,” the 40-year-old Palacios said. “I ran in 2021 because I believed Spring Lake needed change. Now, I’ll be cheering on the next group of leaders from the sidelines with encouragement and accountability.”
Incumbents and challengers
There are five commission seats on the Spring Lake board, and three will be up for grabs on Nov. 4 as Commissioner Robyn Chadwick is challenging Mayor Kia Anthony, according to the Cumberland County Board of Elections. The mayor votes on town issues. Only incumbents Sona Cooper and Adrian Thompson are seeking to retain their respective commission seats. Challengers are Ryan C. Anderson, Stachia Arnold, Katrina Bell Bratcher, Tony Burgess, Jackie Lee Jackson, Mary C. Jackson, Dedra Parker, Tyrone Short and former town commissioner Fredericka Sutherland.
Commission seats, including the mayor, according to Cumberland County Board of Elections Director Angie Amaro, are for four-year terms.
“You just have to have heart and determination,” said Lackman, who takes pride in the current board for balancing the 2025-2026 budget and not raising taxes on residents. “When the Local Government Commission took control of Spring Lake’s finances, something had to be done. You cannot keep voting the same people in and expect different results. That is the definition of insanity.”
With so many in the Spring Lake races, this might be the year for the Greater Sandhills Chamber in Spring Lake to schedule a candidates’ forum to see where all candidates stand on town issues and their vision for the future.
Epilogue
Being a commissioner in Spring Lake, Lackman says, is not just about sitting behind a dais at Monday night board meetings. And that, if you will, can be said for any elected leader in any municipality.
“For the past four years, usually the first Saturday of each month, you could see me out in Spring Lake cleaning up debris, making our town cleaner,” Lackman said. “No job was beneath me. I would look at things that needed to be done and would say, ‘If not me, then who?’
“I appreciate the trust and confidence the people of Spring Lake put in me. My goal was to leave Spring Lake better than when I started. I worked hard and made many sacrifices along this journey. I hope I have inspired one person to make a difference in Spring Lake and continue to make improvements. Now, we will see if the next group of candidates get involved, convince the voters to vote for them, and as a commissioner, continue to improve Spring Lake.”
One thing is for sure.
Marvin Lackman and Raul Palacios leave Spring Lake better than when they began four years ago, and they leave big shoes to fill because they served the town well.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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