HOPE MILLS – The Board of Commissioners held a special meeting on Monday to hear public input on a proposed amendment to the town’s charter that would establish four-year staggered terms for the mayor and board.
Currently, the mayor and commissioners serve two-year terms, with this year being an election year. The board plans to vote on the charter amendment on July 7, at their last regular meeting for the month.
Nine people shared their opinions with the board about the proposed change: seven spoke in person at Town Hall, and two submitted comments by email. All opposed amending the charter to establish four-year terms.
Sally Bailey, a long-time Hope Mills resident of over 40 years, spoke against amending the charter in 2023. She attended Monday’s meeting to voice her concerns again. “This came up a few years ago, and most people I’ve talked to now don’t want it,” Bailey said.
She told the board that elected officials don’t visit her neighborhood to engage with residents or ask about their concerns. “How do I feel like you can serve four years when you still don’t know who we are or what we do?” Bailey asked.
Carlene Bailey, a resident since 2018 and no relation to Sally Bailey, also shared her opinion with the board. She said she remembers voting against the proposal during her first election after moving to Hope Mills.
“This was addressed, and your constituents very clearly said they were not in favor of it,” Bailey said. “So, I’d like clarification on the truth about the new resolution you’re proposing and why you feel it’s necessary to reintroduce it when the constituents of this town clearly said they were not in favor of it.”
Recurring history
This is not the first time Hope Mills officials have proposed establishing four-year terms. In 2018, the proposed amendment was on the election ballot. A majority of residents voted against four-year terms for commissioners, with around 57% against and 43% in favor of the amendment.
The four-year term amendment was proposed again in February 2023 under then-Mayor Jackie Warner. At the public input meeting in 2023, no one spoke in favor of amending the charter. At the board’s regular meeting in March 2023, board members voted against the amendment after pressure from residents and receiving calls and emails urging them to vote no.
Commissioners Jerry Legge and Joanne Scarola voted against the charter amendment in 2023. When asked why she opposed the new terms, Scarola said then, “I am totally on the citizens’ side. I’m not going to take away the voice of the people.”
At a recent board meeting, Scarola said she had reconsidered and now supports amending the charter, believing it is best for the town.
Commissioner Elyse Craver and Legge remain opposed to the current proposal to amend the town’s charter.
When Craver was asked why she voted against the introduction of the new ordinance at Monday’s special meeting, she said she has received a significant response from Hope Mills residents.
“I’ve been flooded with calls, emails, and messages from citizens who oppose four-year staggered terms, urging me to vote against it,” Craver told CityView. “I’m disappointed in my fellow board members and their disregard for the citizens of Hope Mills and their desire for how their government should be run.”
A petition can trigger a referendum
If the Board of Commissioners votes to amend the charter on July 7, residents can initiate a petition to force a referendum, allowing voters to decide the issue directly. According to North Carolina law, if a petition signed by at least 10% of the town’s registered voters — approximately 1,900 signatures in this case — is submitted to the Cumberland County Board of Elections within 30 days of the ordinance’s adoption, the amendment will be placed on the ballot for a public vote in November 2025.
Introduction of the ordinance
Under new business, the board presented the first reading and introduction of the proposed amendment to the charter to establish four-year staggered terms.
If the charter amendment is approved by the board on July 7, the change will take effect in this year’s election. The three candidates receiving the highest number of votes will serve four-year terms, while the remaining two elected members will serve two-year terms.
Thereafter, in the 2027 election, two members of the board will be elected to fill the seats of those whose terms are expiring, serving four-year terms. After 2027, board members elected to fill seats will serve four-year terms in staggered biennial elections, per the resolution of intent.
After presenting an ordinance amending article that outlined the town’s plans to adopt four-year staggered terms, the board voted 3-1 in favor, with Craver opposed. Legge was absent from the vote. Mayor Jessie Bellflowers announced at the beginning of the meeting that Legge was resting at home with family.
CityView asked Bellflowers if he was concerned that residents present at Monday’s meeting were overwhelmingly opposed to the amendment.
“No, I pretty much thought there would be a lot of folks here tonight that would oppose it,” Bellflowers said. “I was kind of expecting the room to be full.
“We’re not the same town we were in 2018. Not at all. Look at the amount of growth that has happened in the last seven years. What we and the board are looking for is consistency and continuity.”
Bellflowers said he was glad people attended. “I deeply appreciate every one of them taking the time to speak on how they feel about the four-year staggered term,” he said. “I encourage folks who could not be here tonight to contact us and let us know how they feel, either in support or opposition.”
The board will meet and vote on the resolution at 7 p.m. on July 7 at their regular meeting at Town Hall.
