Town of Lake Santeetlah Councilmember Ralph Mitchell
Lake Santeetlah – One of the more uniquely disputed agenda items in recent memory will vanish without a solution.
Believed to be the oldest-serving council member in North Carolina, 93-year-old Ralph Mitchell submitted a medical leave request to the Town of Lake Santeetlah on Jan. 18. Mitchell traveled to Ohio to spend the holidays with his family, only to contract COVID-19 – which significantly limited his stamina to travel back to Lake Santeetlah, where Mitchell has owned a home since 1976.
Mayor Connie Gross told The Graham Star on Friday that she had a phone conversation with Mitchell on March 17. Gross informed Mitchell that his request was again denied, at which point Mitchell ended a nearly two-month debate with two sentences.
“OK, that’s it,” Mitchell allegedly told Gross. “I will be back this spring.”
Lack of harmony
The town received Mitchell’s handwritten request Jan. 30, but the February and March council meetings led to a clash between the four members on hand to vote – Tina Emerson, Gross, Jim Hager and Diana Simon.
Hager and Simon vehemently disputed Mitchell’s request – the latter suggesting he instead resign – while Emerson and Gross countered with the argument that the request could be approved and a temporary replacement appointed until Mitchell was healthy enough to return. The two contended that his request fell well within the purview of N.C. G.S. 128-41, which details guidelines for municipal officials taking a leave of absence caused by illness.
The request came during a time in which attendance had been an issue for the council. Ironically enough, Mitchell was a staple for reporting to meetings in-person during the fall – rather than the other four members who were either elsewhere or unwilling to leave their homes, thus attending via Zoom.
The council meets at 5:30 p.m. today.