Council names Allen pro tem
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on December 10, 2014 1:46 PM
Chuck Allen has been named Goldsboro city council's next mayor pro tempore after a motion by Bill Broadaway at last week's city council work session was met with unanimous approval.
Allen served previously as mayor pro tem for nearly a decade before councilmen Michael Headen and Bill Broadaway held the position in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
Allen will replace Broadaway on Jan. 1.
Goldsboro's mayor pro tem steps in for the mayor at city council meetings, groundbreakings or at various functions throughout the city when the mayor is either incapacitated or unable to make the obligation, Allen said.
"I say that to say we have a very active mayor, and I rarely ever had to cover for him when I served as mayor pro tem previously, maybe two times," Allen said.
Goldsboro's charter states the position has no fixed term of office and is elected and serves at the will of the city council and mayor.
Allen was replaced as mayor pro tempore following a motion by councilman William Goodman in September 2012, after a motion by Goodman to reinstate a policy rotating the position based on race failed. A race-rotation policy was instated by former city councilman J.B. Rhodes in 1987, and was in effect for 15 years until 2004.
Prior to 1987, the mayor pro tempore served a four-year term and was chosen based on which candidate received the most votes for the position.
Regardless of past occurrences, Allen said he feel she is ready to step back into his former position, and he feels each councilman would be qualified for the job.
"I've done it for a long time," Allen said. "We're all capable, we're all there to work together."