Spring Lake will see a mix of new and returning faces to the board of commissioners and mayoral office as Cumberland County’s municipal election cycle comes to end.
Returning to the mayoral office, Kia Anthony closed out Tuesday’s election with 52.85% of the vote, according to unofficial results, overcoming a challenge for the title by Commissioner Robyn Chadwick. Anthony received 345 votes, while Chadwick received 303 votes or 46.54% of the total votes cast.
The upcoming term will be Anthony’s third in the office, and she said she is grateful to the community for her reelection. The new term is extended from two years to four following a change to the town’s charter in early 2024.
“It’s an even greater honor that they [voters] see the vision, they trust my leadership, and they’re allowing me to continue to serve,” Anthony told CityView.
Anthony said the longer term, which took effect following this year’s election cycle, will allow the board to work on more issues in the town. It will give Spring Lake a “level of government stability” that they have not had, Anthony said. She stressed the importance of sticking to the town’s strategic plan, which was created earlier this year through collaboration with town leadership, employees, and Spring Lake residents.
Chadwick, first elected in 2021, has served two terms on the town’s board of commissioners. She said she was proud of the mayoral race she ran this cycle.
“I ran it with integrity, I ran it with positivity, I ran a clean campaign,” Chadwick said. “I went in there with the best interest for the community.” She said during her four years as commissioner, though board members may have had disagreements, she’s proud of the professionalism and community-service mindset of the board. Chadwick said she hopes the town will stay focused on the strategic plan and work to revitalize the downtown area.
Chadwick told CityView that although she will no longer serve as commissioner when the new board is sworn in, she will continue to serve the Spring Lake community. Chadwick, an educator, plans to continue her tutoring and literacy program for Spring Lake students and to maintain her work with local nonprofit and civic organizations.
“My work with Spring Lake will never end,” Chadwick said. “I thank the citizens for putting their trust in me, believing in me, and for never, ever giving up on me.”
In the Spring Lake Board of Commissioners’ race, the top five vote-getters were:
- Incumbent Soña L. Cooper, who received 380 votes or 13.30%
- Fredericka Sutherland, who received 368 votes or 12.88%
- Jackie Lee Jackson, who received 350 votes or 12.25%
- Tony Burgess, who received 344 votes or 12.04%
- Incumbent Adrian Jones Thompson, who received 340 votes or 11.90%
Current Mayor Pro Tem Soña Cooper and Commissioner Adrian Thompson will return to the board in the new term, along with Fredericka Sutherland and Jackie Lee Jackson, who both previously served on the town’s board of commissioners.
Tony Burgess also secured a seat during this election cycle after campaigning unsuccessfully in 2021. Burgess, owner of a boxing and fitness gym on Main Street, told CityView he decided to run for office again because residents are concerned about rising town taxes and bills.
Burgess also said he wants the incoming board to focus on bringing new businesses and activities to the youth and elderly populations to Spring Lake as well as the revitalization of Main Street. Changes in policy are needed, he said, as current procedures are slow and make it difficult for small or locally owned businesses to open in a timely way.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do here in town,” Burgess said.
Newly elected town officials will be sworn in at the Spring Lake Board of Commissioners meeting on Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. at Spring Lake Town Hall, 300 Ruth St.
