Hudson stripped of mayor pro tem title following backlash from cemetery issue

LAURINBURG — “If I offended anyone, I’m sorry.”

Those were the words spoken by Commissioner Ronnie Hudson at the top of this month’s meeting of the Gibson Town Commission held on Thursday at the town’s train depot, where tensions were high over the removal of benches at a cemetery.

“What I did was wrong,” Hudson continued. “The biggest thing I did wrong was not coming before the council.”

His apology still did not stop fellow commissioners from voting to strip him of his title as Gibson’s mayor pro tempore, a role that gives a commissioner the authority to act as mayor if the sitting mayor is not present.

”I know that you apologized Ronnie but that was just inappropriate … I don’t think that represents the town well,” said Commissioner Margie Whitlock, who along with Commissioners Adam Liles and Eric Stubbs, raised their hand in agreement with the motion to remove Hudson from the role.

Stubbs will now serve as mayor pro tempore.

Hudson’s apology was for unilaterally directing a town maintenance employee to remove about six benches placed along gravesites at the Pinecrest Cemetary, which goes against the town’s process procedures, according to Town Clerk Peggy Knight-Smith.

Mayor Archie Herring said that he was there at the “end of the process” of the removal of the benches.

“It eat at me that whole day,” Herring said.

“Nobody called me, nobody notified me to do that and that was not the proper municipal procedure,” Knight-Smith said. “It had to go before town council, it has to be approved and town council would direct me and I will therefore direct my staff to do what the town council has directed me to do. That didn’t happen.”

Whitlock said the board members can not do something on their own when conducting town business.

”It has to be brought before the council so I hope we will all remember that,” Whitlock said.

According to Herring, the benches have been placed back at the gravesites.

The matter hit close to home as one of the benches removed was that of the gravesite of Roberts Clell Smith, Knight-Smith’s late husband, who passed away in September. During the public comment period of the meeting, Knight-Smith’s daughter, Chelsie Johnson, spoke at length, thanks to other community members yielding their time, on the matter and how Hudson was a liability to the town.

“Where is the human decency? I believe it’s about as low as you can go to desecrate someone’s final resting place,” Johnson said.

“The real liability is not the benches. It’s him … Food Lion cashiers are held to a higher standard of behavior than this man is as an elected official and that’s OK with everybody in here,” she continued.

“No ma’am. It’s not OK with me,” Liles called out in response.

Johnson accused Hudson of committing a felony. She also said that Hudson’s action stemmed from his “hate” for her, stating he “had no problem with those benches until Dec. 24 when I put mine out there.”

Johnson also told the board that she spoke with Kirsten Leloudis with the UNC School of Government, who said the town did not have a comprehensive law in place for the cemetery.

“‘I have not seen anything at all giving Ronnie the authority to perform these acts. The town has some real liability here,’” Johnson read of Leloudis’ reply.

Knight-Smith’s daughter said she is not calling for Hudson’s removal from the board but for some accountability.

“Ronnie needs to be held more accountable than he is … It’s pretty clear to me that he is not knowledgeable about his duties and where he’s able to act,” Johnson said.

Former Gwen Arrigon also spoke her piece.

“Nobody is king. Nobody is above the law. We have to follow law. We have to follow law to the letter,” Arrigon said.

In a vote, commissioners directed the town to craft an ordinance that would give families total possession of their plots, and make them responsible for their upkeep and the items placed on them, but Hudson, who did not support the action, said this would open the door to more issues.

“We took six benches. There is over a thousand graves out there so we’re talking about six graves and you’re leaving out 994 others,” Hudson said.

“I’m not leaving out anybody Ronnie. I’m doing it the right way, the legal way and that’s the problem. We wouldn’t be in this situation,” Stubbs replied.

Herring said the town will not make the same mistake twice.

“Yes, there should have been procedures followed. Going forward, it will be. You may not be satisfied. Hopefully, in time, you will be satisfied,” Herring told Thompson.