Graham city council member Bonnie Whitaker floated the idea this week of stripping the city’s mayor – currently Chelsea Dickey, who was elected to a two-year term in November 2025 – of the right to vote on matters which come before the council, except when needed to break a tie.
Whitaker claimed this week that the city’s charter is incorrect and that state law only gives the mayor the right to vote “when there are equal numbers in the affirmative and the negative.”
“I noticed that our charter is incorrect. I did check into other municipalities to find out what they were doing” and found that “20 of the 25” she researched, including Elon, Gibsonville, Mebane, and Charlotte, only empower the mayor to vote when necessary to break a tie. . . “I just think this is the way we should be doing things.”
– Graham council member Bonnie Whitaker…