Fontana Dam – Graham County’s smallest municipality is once again being governed by a full council.
Two new members were appointed and sworn in at the Town of Fontana Dam council meeting, bringing the council up to five seats once again, including Mayor Rob Hardy.
The two new members are Fontana Village Resort Marina Manager Brandon Jones and Fontana Village Resort comptroller Lacie McBee.
The two new board members fill seats left vacant after the resignation of Jason Duke in July – following his arrest a month prior – and the more-recent resignation of Jordan Farley, following her move from the town.
Much of the meeting was spent teaching the finer points of local government to the two new council members.
“Before we came on board, nobody thought about Fontana for the most part,” said Town Clerk Zelerie Rogers, explaining the importance of the council.
Hardy also told the new council members that attending public meetings and being involved in other aspects of the community would help them learn their role.
“It’s a good way to learn the ins and outs of public government – but at the same time, we’re always cognizant of the fact that this is an extremely unique situation,” Hardy said. “This town is a one-horse town. We’ve only got one business.”
After the members were sworn in, the board held its organizational meeting, with council members being appointed to various offices. Councilman Jon Hodgson was appointed mayor pro tempore, McBee was appointed deputy finance officer and Hardy was appointed deputy budget officer.
Despite appointing the new members to fill out the vacant seats, the board has recently been exploring the option of going down to three members. Hodgson will also step down from his seat in June as he joins the U.S. Coast Guard.
The town also certified its election results, with three votes cast in total, one each for Hardy, Hodgson and councilwoman Tiffany Duke. All three cast votes for themselves.