Beth Finch knew the odds might not be in her favor when she sought the Fayetteville mayor’s gavel more than 50 years ago.
This city never knew a woman as mayor. But Beth Finch had a philosophy and believed in what could be.
“If she had any words of wisdom she would have passed down, it would have been something she said to me numerous times: ‘Can’t never did anything,’” Hank Finch says about his late mother. “In other words, don’t talk yourself out of not attempting to do something because you are afraid you might fail. Always remember, ‘Can’t never did anything.’”
Beth Dail Finch was elected as the first woman mayor in 1974, serving three terms from 1975-1977, 1977-1979 and 1979-1981.
“May this monument be more than stone,” Assistant City Manager Jeff Yates said Wednesday before unveiling a monument proclaiming what once was Cross Creek Park along Green Street as Mayor Beth Finch Park. “May it be a reminder to keep building the inclusive ‘Can Do’ city she envisioned.”
‘A path where none existed before’
Wednesday was a gentle ceremony just down the way from the old City Hall, where Finch served as a Fayetteville City Councilwoman from 1971 to 1975 before succeeding Jack Lee as mayor.
“Today, we gather to honor the life and legacy of Mayor Beth Dail Finch, Fayetteville’s first female mayor,” Mayor Mitch Colvin said. “She demonstrated what it truly meant to be a trailblazer. Being a trailblazer requires the courage to walk a path where none existed before.
“In 1975, she broke barriers by becoming the first woman elected mayor of Fayetteville, and in doing so, she also became the first woman to serve as mayor of any major city in North Carolina. Her leadership did not stop there. She went on to become the first female president of the North Carolina League of Municipalities, the first woman appointed to the Fayetteville Technical Institute board of directors, what is now Fayetteville Technical Community College, and served as one of the first women trustees for Pembroke State University, now known as the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
“It takes resilience to press forward even when doors are closed,” Colvin said, “and vision to see possibilities that others may not yet imagine. True leadership is about the willingness to lead with purpose, to serve with heart and to create opportunities for those who will come after you.”
Beth Finch, he said, embodied those qualities.
The mayor reminded us that Beth Finch believed strongly in supporting education, young people, a strong city economy and fostering ties with our neighboring military base.
“She saw needs in the community and worked to meet them for the people she served,” Colvin said. “Trailblazers like Mayor Finch show us that progress comes when someone is bold enough to break through barriers, but wise enough to bring others along with them.
“As we unveil this monument today, let us remember that her story encourages us to lead with courage, to serve with compassion and to make space for the leaders yet to come. On behalf of the city of Fayetteville, I want to thank the Finch family for sharing her with us, and I want to thank this community for keeping her legacy alive.
“May her example continue to light the way,” Colvin said, “for future generations of leaders.”
Mayor Pro Tem Kathy Keefe Jensen says she is among women today who were inspired by Beth Finch.
“She championed education and youth opportunity, believing a city’s future is brightest when its children can see themselves in it,” said Jensen, a six-term city councilwoman, who is a mayoral candidate in this election season. “She also understood partnerships — linking City Hall with schools, businesses, neighborhoods and our military community — to turn good ideas into results.
“Her vision wasn’t about headlines.
“It was about creating a welcoming and well-run city, where service, civility and shared responsibility guide decision-making,” Jensen said. “That is the legacy I remember, and one that we build on today.”
‘This is well-deserved’
Beth Finch’s great-nephew, Nick Potter, was in attendance Wednesday.
“I was age 10 or 12 the year she first was elected mayor,” Potter said. “She was small in stature, only about 5-foot-1.” She believed, he said, in education and equality. “She was civil in everything she did. She loved this community, and I think this is well deserved.”
George Breece, a longtime Cumberland County politico, quietly watched as the monument signifying Mayor Beth Finch Park was unveiled under a bright morning sun to honor the late mayor, who died at age 91 on Dec. 26, 2012.
“Beth was not just a trailblazer, she was a mentor to generations of women, many who never met her,” he said. “She let girls and women know that they have a seat at the table of governance. That was a powerful message in the mid-1970s, and beyond.”
Epilogue
Hank Finch says he is a grateful son to know his late mother has been honored.
“She would have been pleased, but embarrassed,” he said. “My mother tried to make a positive difference for Fayetteville. I think she did make a difference with dignity, elegance and grace. However, my mother never sought the limelight. If you had asked her how she would like to be remembered, she most likely would have replied, ‘To be remembered at all would be pretty special.’”
Beth Dail Finch dared to try, because Beth Dail Finch dared to believe “Can’t never did anything.”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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