Seven Springs board seat remains unfilled
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on October 13, 2006 1:48 PM
SEVEN SPRINGS -- The town of Seven Springs is embroiled in a small controversy over who will finish Lib Quinn's unexpired term on the Town Board.
Mrs. Quinn resigned from the board in July, citing health reasons. Her term expires in 2007.
Shortly after she announced her resignation, Bobby Mozingo submitted a letter to the town, offering to take the seat. He and his wife, Karen, attended a board meeting Wednesday at which board members were to interview candidates and possibly make a decision.
Seven Springs has a population of 85. State election law provides that the current board appoint a replacement for the remainder of the unexpired term of anyone who cannot finish their elected term in office.
Mrs. Quinn and her husband, Thurston, also attended Wednesday's meeting, saying they came simply out of curiosity.
The board had tabled the issue twice while trying to see if other residents were interested in serving out Mrs. Quinn's term.
At Wednesday's meeting, board member Steve Potter said Terry Hobbs, the town's Methodist minister, had told him she was willing to serve but was unable to attend the meeting because of illness.
Mayor Jewel Kilpatrick asked the fellow board members if they wanted to interview Mozingo. But Mozingo told them he no longer was interested. After waiting three months, he said, he believes the other board members do not want him to have the seat.
"It's quite obvious it was a personal reason," Mozingo said.
Potter said he merely wanted to give more people an opportunity to consider the position.
Potter said Thursday that he has nothing against Mozingo, and that he is certain the matter will be resolved after tempers cool a bit.
"Maybe he'll decide he does not want to withdraw his name. Hopefully he will give it some thought," Potter said.
He said Mozingo's reaction caught him off guard, and the situation took a turn he was not expecting.
"I don't want anyone to have any hard feelings. I did what I thought I was supposed to do," he said.
He said he never said he didn't want Mozingo on the board.
"I thought we were trying to make people aware that we had a vacancy on the board that needed to be filled. I was accused of going door-to-door. I spoke to three people in three months."
Board member Danny Carter said he believes Mozingo is the best person for the job.
"My first choice for the town is Bobby, but I'd like to have had more people apply for it. If I had five choices, Bobby would have been my first choice."