An Alamance News investigative report: Graham city council public records
Graham mayor pro tem Ricky Hall and city council members Bobby Chin and Bonnie Whitaker appear to have received little correspondence urging them to move the Sesquicentennial Park from the northwest corner of Court Square. That’s a marked contrast to Whitaker’s and Chin’s frequent insistence that they’ve heard an outpouring of support for moving the park.
The issue continues to divide the council. The council majority (Hall, Whitaker, and Chin) remains unwavering in its decision to tear down the existing park, due to potential safety hazards caused by structural degradation, and rebuild it on a city parking lot along West Elm Street.
[Story continues below photos of council members.]
On the losing side of several recent votes over the fate of Sesquicentennial Park are two newcomers who joined the council in December 2025: mayor Chelsea Dickey, who says she prefers to repair the park to make it structurally sound and keep it in its existing location; and councilman Jim Young, who says he wants to allow sufficient time for community members to raise money to repair the park in its current location…