Drexel Aldermen vote to extend Mayoral term length, but deny additional board seat

After discussions about board needs, Drexel aldermen voted unanimously to extend the mayoral term length from two to four years but denied adding a seat on the board.

The dialogue also led to Mayor Dennis Anthony announcing his plans to run for reelection. The mayoral seat is on the November ballot.

The town of Drexel is the only municipality in Burke County to have a two-year term length. Glen Alpine, Valdese, Morganton, Rutherford College, and Hildebran all have four-year term lengths.

Aldermen also have four-year term lengths.

“I think it only makes sense,” Alderman Scott Coe said. “I mean, everybody else is four years. Why would that seat be two years? I think it gives you more solid footing and pushes the agenda better.”

Town Clerk Kristen Powell will run a notice in the newspaper that the ordinance has been adopted. The public has 30 days to file a referendum petition before the ordinance is officially accepted. The board chose the notice option instead of having the ordinance on the November ballot.

Anthony said that he plans to run for reelection in November, regardless of the term length outcome.

Board members and Anthony previously voiced their preference for a four-year term at the May 13 public hearing.

The board, however, denied amending the town’s charter to add another seat on the board of aldermen. Alderman Tim Franklin said the discussion came at a time when multiple members on the board were dealing with health issues at the same time. Late alderman Terry Yount was one of those members who was struggling with personal health matters. He passed away on May 12, and his daughter Jennifer Yount was appointed to his seat.

“A lot of things happened personally to some of the board members here all at the same time and it just felt at the time that we needed more representation,” Franklin said, noting that the idea was just to keep things moving in the right direction for the town.

The board held a public hearing on the issue at their May meeting, where Drexel resident David Harmon spoke about how the money to hire another alderman could be better used to hire contractors for projects that would help improve the town and draw people to Drexel.

Currently, Harmon said, the town relies on volunteers to help with projects. Hiring contractors would ease the burden on both volunteers and town staff.

He also noted that the town hasn’t had any significant growth that would require another seat. After discussing Harmon’s comments, Anthony and Alderman Scott Coe agreed with his stance.

Town Manager Bill Carroll noted that another public hearing would be required if the board were to revisit the idea in the future.