During a special called meeting Thursday, the Mount Olive Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to limit Mayor Jerome Newton’s authority over town matters, including access to town employees and town offices.
The changes were made in the form of a board resolution and took immediate effect. The board met in closed session for more than 90 minutes prior to the vote. The mayor was present for part of the closed session.
The resolution specifically names Mayor J. Jerome Newton (instead of just the position of mayor) and cites “several matters where the Mayor has exceeded his authority to the detriment of the town.”
When reached by telephone and asked specifically what those matters were, Commissioner Vicky Darden said she couldn’t talk about what took place in a closed meeting.
“I don’t like the way it went down, but I know we have to make some kind of decision on certain things,” she said. “It really hurt me, that’s all I can say.”
Her vote in favor of the resolution was based on something she learned in closed session, she said. “I agreed because some of it is true,” she said. “You’ll probably hear about it later.”
Below are the changes outlined in the resolution:
Mayor Newton is:
• no longer authorized to sign checks or make disbursements on behalf of the town and will be removed from the bank’s signatory card
• not to direct town employees regarding their duties or redirect their work
• not authorized to make appointments to any committees, advisory or otherwise
• not authorized to negotiate agreements on behalf of the town unless specifically authorized by the board
• not authorized to set the board’s meeting agenda
• is no longer authorized to sign contracts, deeds, leases or grant-related documents unless specifically authorized by the board
• denied access to the town hall annex at any time other than Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until noon.
At its beginning, the resolution cites the state statute that declares the board has authority over the general management of the town, including all town buildings. It also cites the statute that says the mayor’s authority is limited to presiding at council meetings, performing ceremonial functions and other duties as assigned by the board.
Commissioner C.J. Weaver moved to adopt the resolution and Commissioner Gena Messer-Knode seconded. The motion passed 5-0.
As town clerk Sherry Davis read the resolution aloud, Newton followed along with his own copy and gave a slight laugh after the part about exceeding his duties to the detriment of the town. At the end of Davis’s reading, the mayor shook his head and laughed again, as in disbelief.
During her phone interview Thursday night, Darden said she was tired of the distractions that keep the board from resolving more important town concerns.
“If we put more energy in getting the water fixed, it would get fixed,” she said. “I’m tired of meeting about stuff like this.”
The Tribune reached out to Newton and all commissioners for comment on the resolution, but Darden was the only one who responded by deadline.
Mount Olive’s government is a council-manager form of government, which means the mayor serves as the political head of the town and presides over meetings. The board of commissioners sets policies, passes ordinances and represents residents, and the manager is a professional administrator hired by the commissioners to run the town’s daily operations and manage staff.
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